Lynn Rivers

Politician · Lawyer · Advocate

United States

Bipolar disorderSelf-disclosed [1]

Lynn Rivers is a former U.S. representative from Michigan who served four terms in Congress from 1995 to 2003. Before entering Congress, she served on the Ann Arbor Board of Education and in the Michigan House of Representatives. [2]

Last updated September 15, 2026

Career and work

Rivers earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1987 and a J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 1992. Her pre-congressional background also included work as an attorney. [3][2][8]

During her four terms in Congress, Rivers served on the House Science Committee throughout her tenure, on the Budget Committee for her first three terms, and on the Education and the Workforce Committee in her final term. Her legislative work included environmental policy, campaign and lobbying reform, labor protections, and student-loan issues. [2]

After leaving Congress, Rivers moved into teaching political science. She has taught at the University of Michigan, where her courses have focused on Congress, relations between the legislative and executive branches, and campaigns and elections. [3]

What has been publicly discussed

“Yes, I am manic depressive; I am taking medication; and I am a member of the House of Representatives and good at my job.”
— Lynn Rivers [1]

The following sources contain information that supports the claims made in this profile.

Roll Call“Life After Congress: Lynn Rivers”
A retrospective interview covering Rivers’s bipolar diagnosis, her public disclosure during the 1994 campaign, mood episodes, treatment, advocacy, and life after Congress.
U.S. House of Representatives, History, Art & Archives“RIVERS, Lynn Nancy”
Official congressional biography covering Rivers’s education, political career, committee assignments, legislative work, and public discussion of bipolar disorder.
University of Michigan, Department of Political Science“Lynn N. Rivers”
Faculty biography describing Rivers’s education and political-science teaching, including her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting“The Infinite Mind; No. 32; Manic Depression; Part 1”
Extended interview in which Rivers discusses severe depression, cycling moods, treatment, and her long period without symptoms.
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance“Bipolar Disorder: Stories of Coping and Courage”
First-person account describing Rivers’s diagnosis, years spent finding effective medication, psychotherapy, relapses, and management of her illness.
Clinton White House Archives“June 9, 1999”
Contemporary account of Rivers’s participation in the White House Conference on Mental Health and her discussion of treatment, monitoring her health, and stigma.
National Alliance on Mental Illness“NAMI Salutes Prominent Figures for Their Courage in Working to End Stigma Against Mental Illness”
Documents NAMI’s recognition of Rivers and describes her public disclosure and mental-health advocacy.
Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers University“Women in the U.S. House of Representatives 1998”
Rutgers University fact sheet on women serving in the U.S. House in 1998 that lists Rivers’s pre-congressional background as including work as an attorney.

Recommended books and other resources about Lynn Rivers and lived experience.

The Washington Post“White House Decries Stigma”
Coverage of the 1999 White House Conference on Mental Health, including Rivers discussing bipolar disorder and stigma.
TEDxUofM“TEDxUofM 2016”
Event page for Rivers’s TEDxUofM appearance, with additional context on her congressional career and public discussion of mental illness.

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