I have a theory that to be a truly good writer, you have to have at least a little mental illness: it allows writers to see all the spectrums we write about. Many of the great writers of the past had mental illness; Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, and Edgar Allen Poe just to name a few.
Studies have shown that bipolar tendencies range high in creative people. Why is this? I'm not sure why, but I do know that thanks to the bipolar swings in mood, we have so many greatly treasured works. I once heard that Robin Williams, who is bipolar as well, would wait for a down swing in his mood to more effectively perform sad scenes.
As creative artists, those of us who suffer mental illness can learn to harness it and use it to our benefit. I say our, because I am bipolar II, a milder form of bipolar without the extreme mania, and I am a writer. I have traversed the range of emotions, and because of this, I believe I can have greater empathy and understanding to effectively create life like characters.
Don't think there are many bipolar famous people? Here's a sample listing taken from MentalHealthToday.com:
Actors & Actresses
Ned Beatty
Maurice Bernard, soap opera
Jeremy Brett
Jim Carey
Lisa Nicole Carson
Rosemary Clooney, singer
Lindsay Crosby
Eric Douglas
Robert Downey Jr.
Patty Duke
Carrie Fisher
Connie Francis, singer and actress
Shecky Greene, comedian
Linda Hamilton
Moss Hart, actor, director, playright
Mariette Hartley
Margot Kidder
Vivien Leigh
Kevin McDonald, comedian
Kristy McNichols
Burgess Meredith, actor, director
Spike Milligan, actor, writer
Spike Mulligan, comic actor and writer
Nicola Pagett
Ben Stiller, actor, director, writer
David Strickland
Lili Taylor
Tracy Ullman
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Robin Williams
Jonathon Winters, comedian
Artists
Alvin Alley, dancer, choreogapher
Ludwig Von Beethoven
Tim Burton, artist, director
Francis Ford Coppola, director
George Fredrick Handel, composer
Bill Lichtenstein, producer
Joshua Logan, broadway director, producer
Vincent Van Gogh, painter
Gustav Mahier, composer
Francesco Scavullo, artist, photographer
Robert Schumann, composer
Don Simpson, movie producer
Norman Wexler, screenwriter, playwright
Entrepreneurs
Robert Campeau
Pierre Peladeau
Heinz C. Prechter
Ted Turner, media giant
Financiers
John Mulheren
Murray Pezim
Miscellaneous
Buzz Aldrin, astronaut
Clifford Beers, humanitarian
Garnet Coleman, legislator (Texas)
Larry Flynt, publisher and activist
Kit Gingrich, Newt's mom
Phil Graham, owner of Washington Post
Peter Gregg, team owner and manager, race car driver
Susan Panico (Susan Dime-Meenan), business executive
Sol Wachtier, former New York State Chief Judge
Musicians
Ludwig van Beethoven, composer
Alohe Jean Burke, musician, vocalist
Rosemary Clooney, singer
DMX Earl Simmons, rapper and actor
Ray Davies
Lenny Dee
Gaetano Donizetti, opera singer
Peter Gabriel
Jimi Hendrix
Kristen Hersh (Throwing Muses)
Phyllis Hyman
Jack Irons
Daniel Johnston
Otto Klemperer, musician, conductor
Oscar Levant, pianist, composer, television
Phil Ochs, musician, political activist, poet
John Ogden, composer, musician
Jaco Pastorius
Charley Pride
Mac Rebennack (Dr. John)
Jeannie C. Riley
Alys Robi, vocalist in Canada
Axl Rose
Nick Traina
Del Shannon
Phil Spector, musician and producer
Sting, Gordon Sumner, musician, composer
Tom Waits, musician, composer
Brian Wilson, musician, composer, arranger
Townes Van Zandt, musician, composer
Poets
John Berryman
C.E. Chaffin, writer, poet
Hart Crane
Randall Jarrell
Jane Kenyon
Robert Lowell
Sylvia Plath
Robert Schumann
Delmore Schwartz
Political
Robert Boorstin, special assistant to President Clinton
L. Brent Bozell, political scientist, attorney, writer
Bob Bullock, ex secretary of state, state comptroller and lieutenant governer
Winston Churchill
Kitty Dukasis, former First Lady of Massachusetts
Thomas Eagleton, lawyer, former U.S. Senator
Lynne Rivers, U.S. Congress
Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States
Scholars
John Strugnell, biblical scholar
Scientists
Karl Paul Link, chemist
Dimitri Mihalas
Sports
Shelley Beattie, bodybuilding, sailing
John Daly, golf
Muffin Spencer-Devlin, pro golf
Ilie Nastase, tennis
Jimmy Piersail, baseball player, Boston Red Sox, sports announcer
Barret Robbins, football
Wyatt Sexton, football
Alonzo Spellman, football
Darryl Strawberry, baseball
Dimitrius Underwood, football
Luther Wright, basketball
Bert Yancey, athlete
TV & Radio
Dick Cavett
Jay Marvin, radio, writer
Jane Pauley
Writers
Louis Althusser, philosopher, writer
Honors de Balzac
Art Buchwald, writer, humorist
Neal Cassady
Patricia Cornwell
Margot Early
Kaye Gibbons
Johann Goethe
Graham Greene
Abbie Hoffman, writer, political activist
Kay Redfield Jamison, writer, psychologist
Monica Kennedy, Gather Author and soon to be published novelist (okay I am not really on their list but should be since I am bipolar and a writer. One day I will be nationally known!)
Peter Nolan Lawrence
Frances Lear, writer, editor, women's rights activist
Rika Lesser, writer, translator
Kate Millet
Robert Munsch
Margo Orum
Edgar Allen Poe
Theodore Roethke
Lori Schiller, writer, educator
Frances Sherwood
Scott Simmie, writer, journalist
August Strindberg
Mark Twain
Joseph Vasquez, writer, movie director
Mark Vonnegut, doctor, writer
Sol Wachtler, writer, judge
Mary Jane Ward
Virginia Woolf
Imagine the world without the works of those on that list. No Tom Sawyer. No Beethoven's Fifth. No Starry Night (No Gather Café – Okay, I know the world could go on without the Gather Café). I guess there are a few things we can be thankful for when it comes to mental illness. I would love for these people to have the creativity without the pain, but as a writer who is also bipolar, I can say it is worth it for me. Mental illness does not equal weakness. In fact, I think most who suffer from it are the strongest people ever. The average person would crumble under such strain. The fact that we seek treatment and continue to contribute to the world is amazing. And look what the world has gotten from people with mental illness!
What's up with the link between mental illness and creativity? I have a bit of an idea, as I have expressed here. Mainly I am thankful for it, for the creativity and insight it has given me, and for the treasures it has brought to the world.
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Comments: 71
It is when I am in an upswing that I frantically crank out letter after story after poem after essay, etc etc, and I created great collages and the creativity just takes over. The down time can be for rest and reflection, and provoking work, as I also act for a local medical college (playing a patient with whatever tough ailment the student doc has to discuss with me.)
I also suspect that the use of alcohol, heroine, LSD and other substances have been used tas a "tap in" for artists, it is why they do these things so much. Back in the day, LSD was given to the likes of the rat pack, Jack Nickelson, and many others to enhance their creativity.
You're insightful and a fine addition to that list!
I too am a big believer in this theory. Rational thinkers are too clear, and less likely to be abstract. They see the world more as it is presented. A friend of mine one told me that he felt people were more interesting when they were unhappy. That concept defines many periods of creativity in our world, like existenialism, modern art, etc. Danielle Steele must be eternally even keeled.
When you think about thinking about something, note how easy it is to think of a real object, the same object with changes, or an entirely imaginary object. If you look at the real object, there it is, and it's in pretty much the same form in your minds. Perhaps, that more vivid and real the imaginary object is in your mind, the more you can alter it or make it do things in your mind, the closer you are to psychosis. Just alter the brain wiring a bit, so that the imaginary intrudes into the reality (instead of the other way around), and you have psychosis.
And of course, the more real an object is in your mind, the better you can describe it, or build it, or do it. Hence more creative.
Neuroimaging studies show some support for this: most of the brain is activated in the same way whether you are observing a real object, or imagining the object; whether you are experiencing a feeling, or watching another with those feelings.
Also, mildly manic folks have high energy levels and are very product--so can get much more done
Just some creative speculations..... (please, don't be jealous that the voices talk to me & not you ... ;-)
David: I think you mean Concrete thinkers, not Rational thinkers. Much of the math & sciences is about thinking both Rationally & Abstractly.
Also, isn't it interesting how many awards have been won by actors portraying someone either mentally handicapped or somewhat deranged? I haven't compiled a list, but I think it would have several Oscars on it. Seems people in general are intrigued with non-normal mental states.
BTW I just posted an article "Feeling Indecisive" about two-headed snakes. Seems somewhat relevant to your topic here Monica.
Thanks for calling me one of the most creative posters on Gather! That is a great compliment! As long as I can keep the straight jacket away - as my sister Pam said above, I'm just fine!
Sure, if you define "a little crazy" as productively creatively driven, we most of us are. (Not that it makes the list less interesting in general).
For a creative writing piece that tries to address psychosis from the inside, see my Best Things Denied, a story loosely based on my ex-mother-in-law's descent into psychosis, and the other folks I observed while visiting her and working with other folks stricken with severe mental health issues.
Somewhere between "a little crazy" and psychotically miserable there's an important boundary -- may we all avoid it. I don't want to die for my art, personally...:)
And there are many artists and creative people who aren't mentally ill, so I get a little leery about attributing too much creative benefit to mania. It's all just a little too pat and mostly anecdotal.
I'd be in favor of spreading wider the boundaries of normalcy to include the eccentric, rather than broadening bi-polar disorder to include us more edgy types.
iow - what is normal?
:p
It's not mental illness, which i feel is a stigma. Epilepsy is a neurological condition (i relalize i'm bringing it up here), but it's a diffeent thing altogether.... Manic Depression too i hate to label in any way; even if it is accepted as"mentally illl" i've always jsut said chemically imbalanced or simply, "manic depressive." Not a diss on you, just a thought.
A friend once told me that all the top people he knew at the best companies were either epiletic or manic depressive (bodes very well for me as an epileptic...) - made me laugh. Read Eve LaPlantes book, Seized; not the best book, but the best for writing and creativity with epileptics.
cheers
Allan
I've known a few people who suffer from bipolar disorder (albeit a small sample) and those that are able to harness a creative outlet seem to be the ones who are best able to cope with their condition.
I find it interesting that often very creative people, very intelligent people, and anyone very different from the 'norm' are labelled as 'crazy'. Me thinks that maybe those who are 'normal' are the ones who came up with the definition of 'crazy.' :P
My attempt with this article was to show that people with bipolar can be productive people with much to offer the world, who happen to have a mental health condition to deal with as well. Most people have something to deal with in their lives. Often that thing is very difficult. If I have to deal with a difficult thing and can get some extra creativity out of it, it is worth it to me to have bipolar as my thing to deal with.
Jeff, I think you are totally right! For me, my writing is an escape! It is perhaps one of the few ways I am functioning well currently. When I can't stop all the racing thoughts in my head, when I need to forget the immense sadness I am feeling, or when I can't handle facing things I need to face in my life, I turn to my writing or other creative activities. There are times I am so low I cannot do anything. Times I feel that no one can help me, I am helpless, hopeless, stupid, shameful, horrid . . . Those are the times I hate the most. I am actively fighting this illness though, and pray for days – no, weeks - no, years without those extreme down times.
My faith (Christianity) does also help me greatly to cope with those down times. Having grown in my faith, I no longer battle with suicide as I used to years ago. Perhaps I will write an article about my journey of faith aiding my battle. I can definitely say that I would not be alive today if it were not for my faith.
Thank you all for your comments.
So situations in life, our ways of coping with them, our ways of viewing the world, all provide fodder for the creativity of life.
Of course I caught hell for having forgotten where my room was, acting like I didn't recognize my dad, forgetting how to use the bathroom, etc., but it didn't even dawn on ME until years later that I had probably fallen down the stairs. I don't believe I sustained a head injury, but to this day I have not a single memory previous to the stairs.
Is my creativity affected by whatever happened there? No doubt. This is a great conversation, guys.
Wow Ron, that is strange! I wonder what did happen that day? Thanks for sharing!
Carolyn -- congrats on staying clean! I pray you find continued success with that in the future and with your other endeavors!
Now however, I feel quite alone and "broken" and mistrust many decisions I have made in my life. I will mend though and reconcile and finally accept the less than perfect mind that I have. Thank you again for your insight.
Jon
I wrote a piece about my mother, who was schizophrenic, one of the 10 most disabling conditions, according to the world health organization. Paranoid schizophrenia is the epitomy of insanity, and, all told, my mother did extremely well.
Thanks for writing.
Nicholas, thanks for commenting - I totally agree!
Kathryn - Helping people to accept those like myself and others with mental conditions like bi-polar is part of my goal in writing a lot of my articles. I look forward to reading your article about your mother soon. And you are welcome - writing is my pleasure, my distraction, my addiction, and my alternative medicine (used in addition to real medicine though lol).
Monica, I think it would be wonderful to read your journey of faith & battle.
Thanks for sharing your story, and a topic that for many years was hidden and not widely shared amongst others. People were so often made to feel ashamed, and ridiculed, and as some have shared, there is still prejudice when anyone is diagnosed with any sort of mental illness, or depression. Manic depression has become more widely known as a chemical imbalance, but unfortunately there is no hard fast medication that works for everyone. It often involves a lot of time, and trial & errors in searching for the right medication that works for each person. Even after some time on one that does work, things can still change and new medications called for. Thankfully it is something that is more widely known and accepted by a lot more people. Most people are now able to move on in their lives and lead very productive lives as you have shown.
I hope that you are able to find the right medication that helps you so that you don't have to deal with very many of those down days.
Thanks Katryn! I am hoping this medicine will work well!
Linda - sounds like a neat job to have! I agree that expressing your creativity, even if no one sees it is good! Pass on my love and understanding and encourage creativity!
Is my apprehensions justified?
-Victor (Creative & Innovative Thinking and Writing)
14.04.2006
And AdHd were a thought.
now the criterias differ since this is spring in Scandinavia and the trolls thats left in the sun breaks apart -krlackkk-
(thats why trolls live in the deep mountinground)trolls do not come in dolls.All men are trolls to some women and now to the subject!! Horay.
Mark Twain-a wanna be i guess wrote: "when we remember we are all mad,the mystery disappear and life stands explained."
Are the normpeeps (!) normal folks, realy thinking in words and liner??
Letters et all?i
I think in intiutive valuations as fishnet combing lot of hair and tying linx never to even like if the trouble with language is.
And writing in another language as i do now is a dibble(?)and a Fubble of poionk,Creative?? Useless like my 600-700 songs i composed into the mathmachine from HP and mr Gates.
Internet=nothing o'clock. free of times worst-the tick tack.
internet=no nation,free from geographical tie downs.
Im driving my changes as they fall over season.Sumer with blazing sun is NOT NICE weather.As a Swede and badmouth the summer its almost they rip the citiseship.And im passed Hockey Too.
bad swede bad bad swede, and he likes to waltz with Mary Jane As well(!?)Thats Ok NOT in Sweden the clever idiots gathered.
I love it.
It assumes a lot of things, one of which is that people who aren't officially writers, musicians, and artists are NOT creative - and that's just not true.
EVERYONE is creative. We are creative beings by nature. A housewife who makes up her own recipes is creative and she shouldn't have to be a pretentious artiste living in a garret somewhere to be recognized for her creativity.
Second, the mental health world right now is too quick to label people "mentally ill" over normal human emotions. Excuse me for my cycnicism here, but what the hell is "Bipolar II" anyway? Some sort of sequel to Bipolar I? (Bipolar II: The Wrath of Khan, coming to a theater near you.)
Modern psychology likes to turn normal human ups and downs into diseases. Then they medicate the hell out of people, feeding the pockets of Big Pharma. That's just a load of crap.
Third, I know plenty of people who are artists, writers, and musicians who are NOT nuts.
Fourth, to suggest that somehow mental illness makes you more creative is a cop-out. If you truly have an issue with your emotions, deal with them. It has NOTHING TO DO with your creativity. My ex, who was an addict and probably bipolar for real, was a talented genius in music. His INSANITY, however, did not come from his musical talent. His insanity came from his father constantly beating him up as a child.
A lot of talents are biologically inherited. The emotional pain, however, is not biologically inherited so much as handed down in the form of beatings and abuse. Without the abuse, the talent will STILL remain.
Finally, there are plenty of so-called non-creative people out there who are still pretty damn nuts. Maybe it's in a less visible way, simply because they conform more and hide it better. But it doesn't make them more sane. Not one bit.
Cheri - I understand what you are saying. I can cycle very quickly as well, but have not been diagnosed as Ultra Rapid. Writing a memoir helps, I think. I have written many things on Gather about my life experiences and have found a lot of peace from it. Good luck and thanks for commenting!
Gee! I just hope I can make that list one day!
;)
Mental illness is a neurological disorder, correct?