Novelist Patricia Cornwell admitted in an that she believes she has bipolar disorder. She takes a mood stabilizer to fight the fact that she feels she is “wired differently”. Cornwell commented that it is not unusual for great artistic people to have bipolar disorder. Is she right?
What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, the mental disease formerly known as manic depression, is characterized by extreme swings in mood, behaviour, and energy. Other characteristics include aggressive behaviour, rampant euphoria, reckless behaviour, apathy, increased sexual activity, out of control spending habits, poor judgment, and a reduction in the amount of sleep needed. The qualities exhibited will vary depending on which stage the sufferer is in. It is not easy to diagnose as the cycles can last for years; it is often misdiagnosed as depression. One per cent of Alberta’s population will be diagnosed with bipolarism at some point in their life. In the U.S, 2.6 per cent of the population will suffer from bipolar disorder.
Beloved children’s writer Robert Munsch has bipolar disorder as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sylvia Plath is perhaps the most famous writer that suffered from bipolar disorder; she committed suicide in 1963. Her extreme bipolar depression had a huge impact on her work. Other writers who suffered from bipolar are Robert Louis Stevenson, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, and Graham Greene.
Bipolar Disorder and Creativity
One of the diagnostic criteria for bipolar is an unusually creative thinking ability, a characteristic common in writers. Creative people are 30% more likely to develop bipolar disorder, according to one researcher. While many studies have been done on the potential link between bipolar disorder and creativity, there has been no concrete evidence. That said, few people would deny that many of the most memorable writings have come from people suffering from bipolar disorder.
Canadian novelist Joan Clark comes from a family legacy of depression, an illness Clark has suffered with and that led her grandmother to suicide. Clark’s latest novel, An Audience of Chairs, features a main character who lives with bipolar disorder and, as the book goes on, we learn about the devastating effects of her mental illness on her and on the life of those around her.
For additional reading, consider:
- Touched With Fire; Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament by Kay Jamison
- Artists with Bipolar Disorder, Schizoaffective Disorder Bipolar Type, Schizophrenia and Mental Illness
- BP Magazine for Bipolar
- Canadian Mental Health Association
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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