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So ...
It took someone with bipolar disorder to discover the use of fire,
a known fact, apparantly.
Christopher Colombus had bipolar disorder and discovered the Americas,
Michelangelo had bipolar disorder and so painted the Sistine Chapel, and
Isaac Newton had bipolar disorder and gave us modern mechanics and physical principles.
This blog and definitely titled toward the silly side lately.
Hey, Visitor. The creativity and productivity connection to bipolar is well-established. Kay Jamison and Nancy Andreassen have written books on the topic. Columbus, Michaelangelo, and Newton have been specifically brought up by respected commentators. As for the discovery of fire, you're forgetting - I was there.
Proud to be silly ...
Hey John,
It's just that some people I'ved read are concerned there is more emphasis on a link between creatitity and bipolar disorder than is warranted. It seems to be true for certain individuals but it's not the general case. I've read this being called bipolar chic.
As for the historical figures you mention, could you mention the commentators who have brought them up specifically as examples of bipolar creativity. I may like to read more by them sometime.
Thanks and cheers.
Hi, Visitor. The link is warranted. We are an amazingly creative lot - and I don't just mean in an artsy sense. We tend to be popping with thoughts and ideas. Bipolar is a terrible illness, but our awareness of our gifts can turn into a tremendous advantage once we get our illness under control and we learn to nurture our creative spark rather than play with fire. Then we are kicking butt rather than whining and complaining victims. One small example, if we lose sleep while we are in a creative tear then we are playing with fire, and there is usually all hell to pay. I know - it used to happen to me. So leading a highly-disciplined life is crucial.
This is an article I wrote on creativity: http://www.mcmanweb.com/creativity.html
This is a blog I wrote on bipolar chic: http://knowledgeisnecessity.blogspot.com/2009/01/is-bipolar-cool.html
Everyone is talking about mindful this and mindful that but I subscribe to the thankful this and thankful that. I am thankful I never had to have ECT. I am thankful that my numerous suicide attempts were unsuccessful. I am thankful that four meds treat two disorders and I can function in the real world most of the time. I am thankful that I've only be in psych ward twice. I am thankful that my ex-husband recognized something was wrong and encouraged me to get the help I needed. I am thankful that I never harmed someone else while in a cycle. Wait, I can't say that. I am thankful that I never physically harmed someone esle while in a cycle - I've hurt a lot of people. I am thankful I wasn't locked up and had a hole drilled in my head. I'm thankful that drug and alcohol addiction didn't destroy me. I am thankful for my pscy service dog who get's me up in the morning and keeps me calm throughout the day. I am thankful that I have had two fantastic therapists in my life even though I can't find a decent one now (LOL). I am thankful that NYS recognizes the importance of mental health and my insurance covers treatment and therapy at the same co-pay as medical treatment. I am thankful for people who sit on hotlines 24-hours a day (like my sister) and help people and listen when all you need to do is talk and send out a crises team when necessary. I am thankful there are two mental health wards in local hospitals within 20 miles of me. I could go on and on. Yes, there are things in society that frustrate me and there are things about me that are frustrating and sometimes I want to change a behavior that is detremintal but I don't know how or I can't get the motivation to do so. BUT - I am thankful to be alive and watch the sun rise and hear the birds and know that it may not be a perfect world but it's not too bad. I recently did a talk in my department of a large research univsersity and I self-disclosed and introduced my dog and people I work with and barely know started talking to me about their own problems with mental health and problems they have had with family members. Education and empathy are important and sum up and finish here - thank you John for continuing to educate us and I too love being silly even when it annoys my brother:)
A tour de force, combining both bipolar brilliance and bipolar managed well enough for brevity. So what am I doing complaining about something left out? Nevertheless, NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness deserves a mention, at least in the comments, where the mentally interesting and their families have come together to do what the Pharma/Medica/Therapeutic Industrial Complex could not: turn the focus from cure to recovery. The P/M/T Complex has no stake in admitting that they cannot cure. (And the tour de force suggests that the evolutionary wisdom of the species has a stake in preserving the existence of the mentally interesting, against the best efforts of the industry to eliminate us.)
I attended my first NAMI-sponsored P2P (Peer To Peer) class this week, and heard for the first time what I have been saying to my caregivers for the last year, that the experience of treatment itself includes trauma. Well, doh! It took me a year and a half to figure it out. The therapist who hung up on me when I called to ask whether I needed to be hospitalized was not the therapist who could help me deal with the flashbacks I keep having of that phone call. NAMI.org is thefirst stop for people with mental illness and their families for support from others who have been there.
Hi, Augmenting. I'm very glad you brought this up. I made a very brief reference to the recovery movement in my piece, but I obviously should have fleshed this out. I spent 3 years leading a DBSA group in New Jersey and am on the board of NAMI San Diego. Also, I have spoken to local DBSA and NAMI groups on both the east and west coasts and love the people I have met. Both organizations do outstanding work, and the efforts of its volunteers and staff are heroic. I'm very proud of my associations with both groups. In addition, there are other organizations with strong support, education, advocacy, and recovery missions.
If you check out the bottom of the page here, you will see that HealthCentral has affiliations with NAMI and DBSA. I know at HealthCentral we strongly believe that there is no substitute for learning from fellow patients (and loved ones). Clinicians bring their own expert information to the table, which we need to have regard for, but they are only one part of the equation. NAMI and DBSA believe in patients working with their clinicians, but we know that the key to recovery lies in patients (and loved ones) learning from one another.
NAMI has many excellent programs, including Peer to Peer and Family to Family. DBSA's strength is its local support groups. I strongly urge readers to check these out.
Hi John,
I found your post via google. I understand the informal tone of this piece but I was a bit disappointed that you did not include your sources, specifically for the (alleged) historical facts, including this one: "Middle Ages - One of the treatments for mental illness includes drilling holes in the skull to allow evil spirits to escape."
Could you point me in the direction of the specific sources/documents from which you pulled these bits of information? (I'm curious and want to read more.)
Thank you!
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Those dumb little commercials on tv don't make people pay attention, heck, I ignore them too, and people who aren't affected by by mental illness aren't going to go to support groups (which don't help, b/c, personally I don't like to listen to people b*tch and moan & I have bipolar disorder myself) This isn't going to TEACH or MAKE anyone more aware of anything, IMHO...people don't want to learn about what they're afraid of (mentally ill)...interesting facts though... Have a nice day, folks :)
Hi, Sunnyday. I agree that the commercials are dumb. But there is no question that they and the Prozac culture brought the taboo topic of depression out into the open - which is a very healthy development. You will note that further down I bring out the negative aspects of drug industry marketing.
Re support groups - the whiners and complainers there are a major problem. But I do encourage everyone to attend at least 3 times, as people can get a lot out of them.