Understanding The Facts Surrounding Bipolar Disorder

About 1% of the world's population is thought to have some form of bipolar disorder, from mild to severe. Statistically, men and women are equally represented. Approximately 1 in 5 people with bipolar disorder eventually commit suicide. This is 30 times higher than the general population!

Bipolar disorder is also known as manic-depressive illness. It is a brain disorder that causes shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. What happens when a person has bipolar disorder is they go through current episodes of mania and major depression. Unlike the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are very serious. A person that has this illness can have mood swings that go from a very high point (mania) to a very low point (depression) and can usually have periods of normal mood in between. Some people may have symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time, while others may have only slight symptoms of mania. These symptoms worsen and usually result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. The only positive aspect of bipolar disorder is that it can be treated and the people who have this illness can recover and lead a happy life.

Most of the time, bipolar disorder develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. Some people do have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. Bipolar disorder is very hard to be recognized as an illness, so people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. The symptoms for mania are; increased energy, increased activity, restlessness, racing thoughts, rapid speech, euphoria, irritability, distractibility, decreased sleep requirement, poor judgement, increased sexual drive, denial, overspending and risky behavior. The symptoms for depression are; persistent sad or empty mood, feelings of hopelessness, pessimism, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, decreased energy, feelings of fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in remembering or making decisions, change in appetite or weight, thoughts of death and suicide. It has been researched and argued now for more than 200 years. People believe that there is some sort of link between depression and creativity. That is what Kay Redfield Jamison, a psychologist writes about in her novel; Touched with Fire. This book is about being more or less touched, specifically, it is about manic-depressive illness- a disease of perturbed gaieties, melancholy, and tumultous temperaments- and its relationship to the artistic temperament and imagination. When artists are in a depressed or a manic state, they cannot express their creativity. Their expresssion is inhibited because the person has no control over his actions. But during this time the mind is exposed to many thoughts and ideas. When the person is in a more stable mood, the insights gained while manic or depressed are used and result with an outburst of creativity.

One of the first studies of the creativity/mood disorder link was completed by University of Iowa psychiatrist Nancy C. Andreason. She compared 30 creative writers at the University of Iowa with 30 people holding regular jobs. She found that 80% of the writers said they had experienced either manic-depressive illness or major depression, hile only 30% of the people in noncreative jobs had. In the late 1980s before she even wrote her book, Kay Jamison also examined the link. She studied 47 painters, sculptors, playwrights and poets, who had all received high honors in their field. Jamison found that 38% of the artists had been treated for a mood disorder. For the general population only 1% of people report manic-depressive episodes and about 5% report major depression at some point in their lives. Both of these studies were criticized for two reasons.

First, both researchers studied very few people so that doesnt represent enough of the population. Second, both researchers interviewed the artists themselves or had the artists fill out questionnaires. They could have been biased or the artists could have misrepresented their mental state. A third study was conducted by Arnold M. Ludwig.

For 10 years he studied the lives of 1004 men and woman from different fields including art, music, science, sports, politics and business. He read 2200 biographies and argued that biographers were less likely than psychiatrists to believe that the artists have mental illnesses. Biographers are also known to collect their information about their subjects from a lot of different sources so it would be harder to judge the artists on their mental state. Ludwigs study was published in a book called; The Price of Greatness: Resolving the Creativity and Madness Controversy. He concluded that; members of the artistic professions or creative arts as a whole suffer from more types of mental difficulties and do so over longer periods of their lives than members of the other professions. He also found that, as teenagers, between 29% and 34% of future artists and musicians suffered from symptoms of mental illness. In comparison, only 3% to 9% of future scientists, athletes and businesspeople suffered similar symptoms. As adults, between 59% and 77% of artists, writers and musicians suffered mental illness, while only 18% to 29% of the other professionals did.

Ludwig's findings seemed to agree with the link between mental illness and the artistic temperament. Why this link exists is something that researchers, including Jamison explored further. I guess that mood disorders allow people to think more creatively. Also, people with mood disorders experience many deep emotions which can lead to deeper thinking therefore creativity. The artistic achievements of about 16% of the artists, writers and musicians he studied improved their work when they were coming out of mental upset. Ludwig, however, believes other factors also contribute to the high rate of mood disorders among artists. He argues that people in many professions,including sports, politics and business, are extremely creative. He thinks that more people in artistic professions have mental illness because those professions are more accepting of mental illness. As a result of his studies, Ludwig believes that people with mental illness are naturally drawn to the artistic profession. Others still believe that artistic occupations cause bigger symptoms of mental illness. Artists, musicians and writers often work alone so when they begin to feel upset or depressed, they dont have much support and encouragement compared to people who work on teams or with a partner.

Between 60% and 80% of people who commit suicide suffered from a mood disorder. Many people with mood disorders turn to alcohol or illegal drugs. Some people affected avoid treatments because of the side effects. These side effects can be very debilitating for people, such as artists, musicians and writers, because their work is very intellectual. I will conclude this essay by saying that I was very touched by the artists I read about and Kay Jamison wrote about. People with mood disorders go through pain that is not describable in words. The most important thing to recognize is that most artists are not mentally ill, and most mentally ill people are not artists. Artists make this world and interesting world full of creativity and color. Like Kay Jamison says: What remains troubling is whether we have diminished the most extraordinary among us- our writers, artists, and composers- by discussing them in terms of psychopathology or illnesses of mood. Do we- rush to diagnose, to heal, and perhaps even alter their genes- compromise the respect we should feel for their differentness, independence, strength of mind and individuality?