Jessica
Many artists wrest
their works from great darkness, for they are much sensitive and
concentrated on their profession—and also the pain of their lives. 38%
of important writers and artists had been treated for affective mental
illness while manic depression is one of those common psychiatric
problems.
A biographical survey
of 1,005 famous artists in 20th century published by Arnold
M. Ludwig suggests that artists, writers, and other professionals had
rates of psychosis, suicide attempts, and mood disorder two to three
times higher than other successful people in the fields of science,
business, and public life. Though some familial transmission can lead
to mental illness, their sensitivity and obsession, which are stronger
than common people, could also be the causes of manic depression.
Most artists focus on
nothing but their love and work. Just like the Eskimo, who live with
snow for all their lives, have more than 30 different kinds of
adjectives to describe the snow; artists devoted all their energy,
attention, and passion into their work, and if there』s any imperfection
or a throw to their ideal condition, they suffer great disappointment
and pain. Take Sergey Rachmaninov, a Russian musician, for example:
when he was criticized by some experts in Saint Petersburg, who were
mostly against the other academy in Moscow where Rachmaninov was
educated, he experienced a major breakdown in his life because he had
laid all his hopes and concentration on his musical career. Rachmaninov
consulted everyone from Leo Tolstoy to a medical hypnotist and,
fortunately, he went through the hard time and composed his famous piano
concerto No.2 to appreciate the help of his psychiatrist. According to
Andreasen, who studied on those distinguished artists for over 15 years
in the University of Iowa, 「Artists are risk-taking and
adventuresome.」 Additionally, artists』 senses and feelings are usually
as sensitive as the wine taster』s tongue. They experience every small
thing with strong feelings and emotions; therefore, they suffer
depression many times greater than ordinary people do.
Another research shows that
writers had the most psychiatric problems and poets topped the list.
Sylvia Plath, who is probably one of the most important American poets,
committed suicide at the age of 30 because of her manic depression. She
expressed in her poems her pessimistic attitude and her sadness.
Another gifted British female novelists, Virginia Woolf, suffered
depression from her early age and ended her life by filling her pockets
with stones and drowning herself in the river Ouse. It is believed that
the ideas for most of her books came to her during a prolonged manic
illness, and her great years of productivity followed from the most
serious breakdowns in her life.
While common people are
occupied by different kinds of superficial things, artists often put
emphasis on one thing and go as deep as
they can with powerful sensitivity. This type of personality makes
artists different from ordinary people but it also leads to manic
depression sometimes.