Bipolar Today

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An interesting article was written today on the website Science Network: Western Australia. The author does a good job of drawing together some of the scientific evidence concerning the connection of creativity and bipolar disorder, something that has been argued at length by such authors as Kay Redfield Jamison in her important book, “Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament.” The author, Laura Glitsos, argues that this connection may lead to future therapies akin to art therapy.

Commentary

I really like articles like this. The author brings together the three different studies, citing them directly, rather than saying things like “studies show” with no way of actually finding the material (and of course, meaning we can’t know if there is a slant on how they are reporting the study). The conclusion is the author’s own, rather than one simply reported by a putative expert, and the conclusion is conservative, rather than a strong conclusion that will be overturned by the next bit of overly general science reporting.

Since the article is conservative and exploratory, let me introduce my own limited experience. I’ve certainly noticed the connection between creativity and hypomania, though my beliefs become too fractured to be really considered creative during mania. I have also had some recent success in giving my hypomania some “free rein” as a part of my treatment, writing out some of my ideas rather than bottling them up. On the other hand, I’ve also experienced the way in which turning myself over to hypomania can lead to mania more quickly, and so I continue to be cautious about anything like art therapy as a treatment for bipolar disorder.

As the article points out, though, “harnessing” and even “creativity” are still unclear concepts, and perhaps clearer definitions can lead to better understanding of when harnessing creativity would be beneficial and when it would be harmful.

Related posts:

1. Gifts of the Storm: Creativity and Bipolar Disorder
2. Carrie Fisher Discusses Addiction, Creativity
3. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Shows Promise: Study
4. Bipolar Disorder and Leadership: Nassir Ghaemi
5. Evidence-Based Medicine: Three Flaws and Three Solutions