The theory has been pondered since the 1830s as studies continuously show that creative types seem more prone to mental illness.
What do we mean when we say mental illness? It’s any illness that causes changes in someone’s behaviour and the way they relate to others. People who suffer with it are usually unable to cope with daily life. Some causes include stress, a traumatic event, underlying physical issues, heredity, and chemical changes (usually neurotransmitters in the brain).
Types of Mental Illnesses
Common mental illnesses include:
- Anxiety disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorders, and phobias
- Mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder
- Psychotic disorders like schizophrenia
- Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia
- Impulse control and addiction disorders like alcoholism, drug addiction, sex addiction, pyromania, and gambling
- Personality disorders like antisocial personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder
Less common mental illnesses include adjustment disorders, dissociative disorders, sexual/gender disorders, tic disorders, and some sleep related disorders.
Mental illnesses are not something you can snap out of. Like other physical diseases, people suffering with mental disorders need treatment to get better. Mental illness is more common than cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.
Among writers there are variances in the instances of mental illness. Psychiatrist Arnold Ludwig found a striking difference in mental illness rates when he analyzed nonfiction and fiction writers. Nonfiction writers and journalists had a lifetime mental illness rate of 47%. Novelists sat at 59% and poets had the highest rate at 77%. In comparison, the rate of mental illness among the general population lingers around 35%. It appears the process of creating is not the problem but the emotional conditions that make creativity conducive.
Writers and Depression
Depression seems to grab hold of many writers. The list includes Norman Mailer, Jack Kerouac, Leo Tolstoy, Tennessee Williams, and Charles Schulz. British author George Eliot (pen name of Mary Anne Evans) suffered from clinical depression as did F. Scott Fitzgerald, playwright Eugene O’Neill, Canadian journalist and author Joey Slinger, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Allan Poe. Victoria Maxwell, one of North America’s most sought-after educators and speakers on the ‘lived’ experience of mental illness and recovery, explains depression, “Clinical depression is a whole body illness that is significant and severe, needing medical attention. It is not 'the blues' or 'in the dumps'. It is an illness characterized by dramatic changes in sleeping and eating patterns, a pervasive sense of hopelessness, guilt and worthlessness and lack of enjoyment in normally pleasurable activities. Depression, unlike normal sadness, lasts not a few days, but for no less than two weeks. Even months and sometimes years. It is not something you can just 'get over'.”
Suicide unfortunately can go hand-in-hand with mental illness as the victims will do anything to stop the pain. Virginia Woolf committed suicide after suffering as a manic-depressive for years. Suicide attempts are often a sign of mental illness and suicidal thoughts are common in people suffering from depression or mania. Becky Loewen, a suicide hotline board of director’s member, explains, “There are trends to suicide. If you check out the statistics, you’ll notice certain age brackets are more at risk, etc. You’ll also notice men complete suicide far more than women – there are numerous reasons why this is true. One factor is simply that women tend to talk about their problems more than men; the stereotype of men showing weakness by showing emotions still holds true.”
Unfortunately there is a social stigma associated with mental illness. On a slightly positive note, there is more tolerance for mental illness in the writing profession than in the rest of society. People may not be as tolerant if their doctor or lawyer suffered with a disorder. In an attempt to quash the shame that is bed buddies with mental illness, the Alberta Mental Health Board launched a program in 2006 to change the way people respond to mental illness, Mental Health First Aid Canada. The thinking behind the program is that while people know a lot about physical illnesses, most people know very little about mental illnesses. The lack of understanding promotes fear and stigma and can keep people from seeking help. Mental Health First Aid Canada hopes to change the way people think of mental illness.
Help for Mental Illness
Where do you go for help if you suspect a mental illness? The first place is your family doctor. He or she may be able to help and, if not, they can refer you to a specialist. If your health insurance provider has mental health coverage, contact them for a mental health referral; they usually keep a list. Another option may be to seek out your local or provincial community health services organization. They are often non-profit organizations that offer help regardless of your financial position. Like physical illnesses, the earlier you get help, the better. Psychiatrist Albert Rothenberg is adamant that highly creative people do better when they are treated for their mental illness.
Treatment for mental illness usually includes medication of some form such as anti-depressants or anti-psychotic drugs. A sufferer may also benefit from psychotherapy or group therapies. Other options include hypnosis, alternative therapies, and electroconvulsive therapy. As many as 80% of people who seek treatment are able to return to their normal activities and continue productive lives.
Do Creativity and Mental Illness go Hand in Hand?
Many well documented studies have shown that is the case. One study shows that famous writers are particularly prone with an average rate of 72%. Experts say that a writing career is the ideal environment for exacerbating mental illness symptoms. Writers often work alone and when they get into a funk, they do not always have people around them to recognize what is going on. Writing has one of the highest rejection rates of any career and writers often feel misunderstood. Never mind the frustration of wanting desperately to get words out of your brain yet ending the day with a blank page.
Let us be grateful that we writers are generally embraced when we have a mental illness yet we don’t have to be ‘crazy’ to be a great writer.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
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