Written Could 27, 2011
Up to date Could 27, 2025
If Van Gogh took psychiatric medicine, would Starry Evening nonetheless exist — or would the world be somewhat darker? Let’s separate romantic myths from actual science and lived expertise. Not occasionally, at Bipolar Burble, I get feedback about how if well-known artists with psychological sicknesses had been medicated, we wouldn’t have their artwork at this time. Psychiatric medicine and creativity are merely perennial matters. Their go-to instance is all the time Vincent Van Gogh. With out his untreated psychological sickness, they argue, Van Gogh wouldn’t have been the nice artist we all know him to be at this time. And if that’s true, then others shouldn’t take psychiatric medicines both, as they need to be nice artists too.
Proper then. Let’s all go off our meds and paint. And chop off our ears.
Creativity and Psychological Sickness
There is no such thing as a doubt that being loopy makes you see issues in a brand new approach. I do know I can see issues in ways in which others can’t. It’s each a swirling profit of colours and a dramatic, lead hindrance. I’m continuously coping with individuals taking a look at me in odd methods as they attempt to wrap their heads round whatever-the-heck logic my ideas are attempting to make. It’s no imply feat.
However that’s not essentially all bipolar. That’s creativity. I used to be artistic earlier than I used to be loopy, earlier than I used to be medicated. And I’m artistic now, on psych medicine.
Why This Fable Persists About Psychiatric Remedy
I’ve had hypomanic instances the place I’ve written and written and written and written. 1000’s and 1000’s of phrases have poured out of my cranium. They usually have been good.
Or at the least, I assumed so on the time.
Hypomanic (and manic) individuals suppose they’re good. Suppose they’re unbelievably proficient and inventive. Suppose they’re geniuses. It doesn’t imply they really are. When I’ve reviewed the writings I’ve produced when hypomanic, they’re the furthest factor from good. They’re inches away from nonsensical.
Creativity and Psychiatric Remedy
Since being on psych meds, I’ve written 1000’s of pages. 1000’s. Some professionally, some not, however many pretty laudable and inventive. I do have expertise, and that expertise hasn’t magically been eliminated due to psychiatric medicine.
After all, if I’m too depressed due to the bipolar to get off the sofa, that has a somewhat antagonistic impact on producing something, proficient or not.
Artists, Psychiatric Remedy, Creativity, and Demise
However so that you don’t agree with me. You’ve got personally discovered you’re good off meds and never on. Okay. Tremendous. And possibly you suppose you’d be keen to half along with your ear to be Van Gogh. Okay. Tremendous.
However you may want to remember some actually good individuals who killed themselves resulting from psychological sickness, together with Van Gogh, whose despair worsened over the course of his lifetime, making him unable to color, resulting in his suicide on the age of 37.
After which there are different well-known artists who died from suicide:
- Robin Williams — suicide at 63
- Kate Spade — suicide at 55
- Marilyn Monroe — suicide at 36
- Hunter S. Thompson — suicide at 67
- Sylvia Plath — suicide at 30
- Kurt Cobain — suicide at 27
- Ernest Hemingway — suicide at 62 (and simply in case you’re doubting genetics, his father, brother, and sister additionally died by suicide)
- Diane Arbus — suicide at 48
- Alexander McQueen — suicide at 41
- Virginia Woolf — suicide at 59; right here is a part of her suicide word to her husband:
I really feel sure that I’m going mad once more. I really feel we are able to’t undergo one other of these horrible instances. And I shan’t recuperate this time. I start to listen to voices, and I can’t focus. So I’m doing what appears the most effective factor to do. . . I don’t suppose two individuals may have been happier ’til this horrible illness got here. I can’t struggle any longer. . . I can’t learn.
There are, after all, an entire bunch of different proficient individuals, each recognized and unknown, who had their lives reduce brief by suicide as effectively.
And my guess is that the family members of each single a type of individuals want that psychiatric therapy had been accessible for his or her family members. Nobody needs a portray greater than their daughter or son.
Psych Remedy Destroys Creativity and Artwork
So don’t give me the nonsense argument that medicines are “dangerous” as a result of they hamper creativity. As a result of you realize what actually kills your creativity?
Demise.
I’ll depart you with this snippet of a poem about suicide that basically drives dwelling this level:
The Alternative
by Lesléa Newman
. . .
Or you may elevate the paring knife
from the kitchen drawer
and free the veins
that rise to satisfy the pores and skin
There is no such thing as a one
save the poems you may write
Please word that I’m not saying that nobody has ever skilled a lower in artwork manufacturing due to being on psychiatric medicine. I’m simply saying that’s a poor excuse for not taking medicine. It actually misses the entire level. Your life is extra vital than artwork. Simply ask anybody who loves you. (Additionally, the appropriate medicine can completely scale back this challenge.)
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