everyminute

Creativity and Mental Illness

Posted on 10/07/08, 11:31 am

Found an interesting article about the correlation between mental illness and creativity:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/con...

"Unquestionably, I think a major link is to the underlying temperaments of both bipolar illness and depression, of reflectiveness and so forth," Jamison said....

What do you think? Does there seem to be a connection?

Real interesting quote at the end of the article:

"Tragically, mood disorders can still present a sudden death in people who have been undiagnosed and untreated, and die from the illness," says Ketter.

More specifically, Ketter says, just as heart disease sometimes presents itself for the first time as a fatal heart attack, mental illness sometimes presents itself for the first time as a suicide."

• Reply #1 10/08/08  3:31am
  
  tom2687
  Interesting article. Tom
• Reply #2 10/20/08  1:33pm
  
  irishwriter
  the book is an excellent read 'touched with fire' kay redfield jamison if you're interested in checking it out.
• Reply #3 01/03/09  8:51am
  
  abbywondering
  Wow.
• Reply #4 01/19/09  12:49am
  
  LaVivre
  I don't beleive mental illness ever first presents itself as suicide, ever to those who are aware of the people around them.
• Reply #5 01/19/09  7:47am
  
  abbywondering
  Sorry to disagree with you, LaVivre, but suicide can be the first way mental illness presents itself. The illness may be there, but many of us with depression learned, before we got treatment for it, how to hide what were feeling. Sometimes it all builds up, and suicide seems to be the only option. :(
  There's a mask you learn to hold when no one around you seems to understand what you're going through, how much pain you are in. It's a mask you learn to keep after betrayal and heartbreak, when everything just seems to go wrong......
  Trust me. I have a mask at times too. Thankfully enough for me, my anxiety showed itself by making me pass out. I got psychiatric help, and she, my psychiatrist, diagnosed me with depression and an eating disorder as well.
  It's a rough journey, LaVivre, and some people never get the help they need. So they figure the only way to escape the pain is to die. To kill themselves, basically. So yes, suicide can be the first symptom of mental illness, just as a heart attack or stroke can be the first sign of cardiovascular problems.
• Reply #6 01/19/09  2:00pm
  
  LaVivre
  No need to be sorry to disagree with me, I welcome the information and am grateful to you abby for taking the time to respond. Your information is very thought provoking to me. I appreciate anyone taking the time to share with me their wisdom and knowledge. Thank you very much!
• Reply #7 10/26/09  3:41pm
  
  rickus
  Still trying to figure out this thing all too new. But yes very creative n all. Unreal sometimes. Artist and mind understanders. wow, death like uh?

We are using our hearts to heal our minds. Our passion will fuel mental health research. Scientific answers will save and improve lives.