Mental Health Month Day 4

On Day 4 of Mental Health Month, I want to bring to the table the suspected relationship between mental health disorders and creativity. More specifically, the relationship between treatment and creativity.

As a writer living with Bipolar Disorder, I found Live to Write Another Day: Writers, Depression, and Suicide written by author Holly Lisle very close to home.

Many writers and other artists (think Virginia Woolfe and Vincent Van Gogh) had or have some kind of mental health condition. It’s often thought the depression, the BP – the whatever – aids them in their work. It’s speculated both the extremely elated moods and severely depressed moods help them be more creative. See the world in a different light. Express that different light much more effectively.

You get the picture.

For example, I once read that Robin Williams, who is suspected to have Bipolar Disorder, chooses to not use medications as treatment because they can interfere with his creative processes.

These artists are justified in their thinking. After all, how many people do you know would easily give up their passions in order to have a “stable” mood each day?

However, in light of Lisle’s article, it’s important to remember there are other forms of treatment aside from medication. There are other ways to deal with depression to avoid extremes like suicide.

• Talk therapy
• Peer support (think support groups)
• Lifestyle changes

Talk with your mental health care professional about these treatment options. He or she may agree medication doesn’t have to be an option for you – that you can hang on to your creativity without risking your mental health, too.