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Originally Posted by martinguerre
kay jamison, a pyschiatrist at Johns Hopkins who has written extensively on mental illness, has a book called "touched by fire" that deals with this question. worth a read if you think there's nothing to do with artistic spirit and mental illness. it's clear to me that there is a link, but that that link doesn't mean anything about treatment. it's not a ban on getting treated, nor do i think we can reasonably require treatment of everyone.
i have been unresponsive to medication evet since they started trying....and one of the big side effects was for my creativity to be greatly dulled. and hell...these are just the SSRIS. lightwights by comparision to other pyschotropic medication. taking these drugs is a serious choice, and i place a lot of weight on the words choice. it may be what needs to happen to save a life...but othertimes it may be too much of a cost to someone's sense of self.
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Which is what the article seems to address. I know that, for me, that period of time was the least creative, but the most medicated and I certainly didn't feel any better physically or as a creative person.
And as roachboy pointed out, in our youth, we think we're connected to this vast creative world because of our angst. But all we were really was young.
Until science can first differentiate between the levels of both organic and environmental depressions, isolate them and treat the illness without compromising the personal 'self', I don't see a total eradication of it.
I do know one or two who are deeply creative and have some mental disorders, but by and large, the creative people I associate with are probably some of the sanest, most well-adjusted people on the planet.