I am looking for stories about famous breakdowns after an artist,
writer, actor or filmmaker had finished a major work.  For instance,
the work was keeping them going and once it was over, some sort of
breakdown or depression ensued.

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Clarification of Question by janettelv-ga on 27 Mar 2006 09:08 PST

Not obvious choices like Howard Hughes.  People that didn't display
any other sign of mental instability and then just lost if after the
project of their lifetime.  Post-Project depression or mental
breakdowns, more specifically.

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Request for Question Clarification by bobbie7-ga on 27 Mar 2006 09:14 PST

What about Doris Day?

"Shortly after finishing her fourteenth movie, ?Calamity Jane,? things
changed for Doris. She began having panic attacks; feeling as though
she was falling apart. She kept it all from Marty and because of her
Christian Science background, would not go to a doctor. She did
however see her Christian Science Practitioner, Martin Broones. When
she did see him, she found out that she was just exhausted. It took
her several months to become herself again.

Because she was ill during the time that ?Calamity Jane? premiered,
she took no interviews. She had always been very cooperative with the
media in the past and when she became uncooperative, the media began
to call her snooty. They began to think that because she was now so
famous, she didn?t need anyone. This upset Doris and only added to the
problems.

After making ?Lucky Me?, she had the opportunity to speak to the
press. She explained to them that she had had a nervous breakdown and
that she was sorry for avoiding them. She just needed time to put
herself back together again. Telling the people about her condition
and being able to talk about it, was a turning point in her recovery."
http://www.geocities.com/nicolejaneen/bio.htm

Howard Hughes!

this would be one if the most obvious, he did seem to have a certain
level of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) prior to his declining
years but while he had something to chase or something to immerse
himself he was able to control it.  I the last years of his life he
was recluse and would not leave this penthouse hotel suite.

Hope this help answer your question

You can read a little more into his life on this link;
http://www.famoustexans.com/howardhughes.htm

any artists? or anyone else that had finished something huge in their
lifetime (filmmakers, politicians, exploreres) that just had a breif
breakdown after that one thing was done?