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06/14/2018

Why Even Wildly Successful People Are Vulnerable to Depression

Wealth, fame and success aren't indicators of happiness, stability

Kate Spade, that seemingly cheery fashion industry icon, wife, and mother who inspired millions of adoring fans, tragically took her own life last week, after years of battling with depression.

Spade is not the first entrepreneur to struggle through mental health issues. A 2015 University of California study said 49 percent of entrepreneurs suffer from some degree of mental illness. In 2013, the suicide of entrepreneur Jody Sherman led many to see a connection between startup culture and mental illness.

Depression is complicated and messy and there isn't enough information available to know precisely when her depression began or where her triggers lay, but it is said to have worsened in recent years. She had sold all of her interest in the Kate Spade brand by 2006; after a 10-year break, she and her husband, Andy Spade, launched the lesser-known Frances Valentine line, named for their daughter, Frances Beatrix Valentine Spade. The relationship between a founder and their business is fraught and fragile. In Kate's case, it may have played a role in her depression.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.

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