Check out this list:
Virginia Woolf
Rosemary Clooney
Hans Christian Anderson
Kurt Cobain
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Vincent Van Gogh
Tennessee Williams
Jimi Hendrix
Ernest Hemingway
Vivian Leigh
Isaac Newton
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
What do these people have in common? Let's see, we have a writer, singer, writer, musician, writer, painter, playwright, musician, writer, actress, inventor, writer...
Lot of people who acted on that notion that everyone has at least one good book in 'em. In general, creative folks -- all very successful, a few who had haunted souls (including at least one guy who offed himself and another who chopped off his own ear - yowza). I learned this week that they all had something else in common.
They all are or were reported to have bipolar disorder.
From the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):
I learned this week that there's some research out suggesting those who are creative are much more likely to have such a disorder. So that explains why people roll their eyes at temperamental, odd, emotional, fitful, obsessive behavior and chalk it up to the person being "one of those creative types."
I also learned this week that I have bipolar disorder.
And you don't have to hide your sharp objects. I like my ears where they are. At least for the moment.
Virginia Woolf
Rosemary Clooney
Hans Christian Anderson
Kurt Cobain
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Vincent Van Gogh
Tennessee Williams
Jimi Hendrix
Ernest Hemingway
Vivian Leigh
Isaac Newton
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
What do these people have in common? Let's see, we have a writer, singer, writer, musician, writer, painter, playwright, musician, writer, actress, inventor, writer...
Lot of people who acted on that notion that everyone has at least one good book in 'em. In general, creative folks -- all very successful, a few who had haunted souls (including at least one guy who offed himself and another who chopped off his own ear - yowza). I learned this week that they all had something else in common.
They all are or were reported to have bipolar disorder.
From the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. More than 2 million American adults, or about 1 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. It is often not recognized as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's life.
I learned this week that there's some research out suggesting those who are creative are much more likely to have such a disorder. So that explains why people roll their eyes at temperamental, odd, emotional, fitful, obsessive behavior and chalk it up to the person being "one of those creative types."
I also learned this week that I have bipolar disorder.
And you don't have to hide your sharp objects. I like my ears where they are. At least for the moment.
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