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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dr. Bob on January 21, 2004, at 23:25:16
In reply to Creativity and depression, posted by naiad on January 21, 2004, at 4:35:56
> In taking my family history I told my pdoc about my sister who experienced a severe depression a few years ago. She is much better and has been off of anti-depressants for a couple of years now but is thinking about going back on because she thinks she might have an underlying depression that is inhibiting her creativity. She is a painter who is becoming quite successful.
>
> My pdoc said that she thinks medication benefits artists but that many of them tell her they are afraid it will take away the angst that fuels their art.
>
> Anyone with any experience/insight? Thanks.
Posted by thinkfast on January 22, 2004, at 6:05:12
In reply to Creativity and depression « naiad, posted by Dr. Bob on January 21, 2004, at 23:25:16
It seems that this creative place that dwells in our heads can either be a wonderful gift, or a terrible curse, depending on how so used. I believe this imagination and/or depression are stirred from the same spot in the brain, especially when dealing with detail and technicalities. Those of us who are familiar with depression or anxiety know all to well how self-destructive these details can be. Allowing the mind to wander can be a terrible burden, but can also bring forth some interestingly deep creative works. My own $0.02--I do my best work when things are at their worst. The only thing I can figure is that when your suffering, you pour everything you've got into a piece to try and relieve the madness.....
Posted by 64Bowtie on January 22, 2004, at 12:14:04
In reply to Creativity and depression « naiad, posted by Dr. Bob on January 21, 2004, at 23:25:16
Again, check out "The Courage to Create", by Rollo May
Posted by 64Bowtie on January 22, 2004, at 12:16:37
In reply to Re: Creativity and depression (redirect) » Dr. Bob, posted by 64Bowtie on January 22, 2004, at 12:14:04
Posted by Joslynn on January 23, 2004, at 10:32:05
In reply to Re: (was meant for naiad) (nm), posted by 64Bowtie on January 22, 2004, at 12:16:37
Another thought...
I have discovered that the writing subjects that interested me "pre-breakdown" no longer interest me as much. Now, I want to write about new characters and themes . It's not necessarily better or worse, just different.
Posted by zeugma on January 23, 2004, at 21:08:59
In reply to Re: (was meant for naiad), posted by Joslynn on January 23, 2004, at 10:32:05
Unfortunately, i also have felt that when my mood is at its worst, I am more able to write, because my inner experience seems to become more urgent as the outer world becomes lost in dysphoria. i'm more apt, when feeling awful, to be kept awake by despair and to start having the associative thought process of dreaming while awake. William butler yeats talks about a story Flaubert planned but never wrote, in which a man's dream life becomes increasingly rich and satisfying as his waking life falls apart; his final ruin in 'real' life corresponds to his marriage to a beautiful princess in a dream. I take this to be an apt metaphor for the creative life.
This is the end of the thread.
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