May
2007
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May
2007
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Of Like Minds is now Mood! Over 175 articles on: Help support Mood --
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The
link between genius and mental illness Gifted, sucessful people with depression, bipolar and anxiety disorders |
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Here's a glimpse of just a few of the gifted and successful figures of our times who have lived with mental illness. Bipolar Disorder
Brian Wilson, founding member, producer, composer, and arranger for The Beach Boys: "I went through times that were so scary that I wasn't sure I'd make it through," he recalls today. Reports The Los Angeles Times: "At the end of the evening, Wilson stood triumphant on stage, a man who has emerged from his darkest, most paralyzing blue period to again celebrate his music - and the human spirit - with his fans." Winston Churchill 1874-1965, Prime Minister (U.K.): "Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation. In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgment might well have concluded that we were finished," wrote Anthony Storr about Churchill's bipolar disorder in Churchill's Black Dog, Kafka's Mice, and Other Phenomena of the Human Mind. Robert
Munsch, beloved and best-selling children's author in North America:.
Munsch studied to be a Jesuit priest before he wrote such delightful and
irreverent books as Mortimer, The Paper Bag Princess and
Love You Forever. “About grade seven or eight, things started
getting weird and wonky,” he says. “I'd feel great for two weeks,
then horribly depressed for two weeks.…The Jesuits teach you a very
analytical way of living your life. It worked very well for me because
I just learned to ignore my emotions… "I'm not classic bipolar,"
he says. “I'm depressed more than I'm up.” Antidepressant medication
worked well for Munsch, softening his moods but not stifling his creativity.
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Art Buchwald, writer, Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist: Buchwald's career, built upon his razor-sharp wit, includes 30 books and syndication in 500+ newspapers. He talks openly about "the black pit" of his mental illness, having been hospitalized for depression in 1963 and for manic depression in 1987. Since his recovery, he has used his high-profile status to educate the public about mental health issues. Of primary concern for him is the ongoing stigmatization of mental illness in the workplace, particular as it affects employee promotion, job security and work relationships. Depression
Mike Wallace, Co-Editor of 60 Minutes "On two or three occasions, I came very, very close (to suicide). But, when I got the right help and treatment, I was able to put that behind me....There's nothing, repeat, nothing to be ashamed of when you're going through a depression. If you get help, the chances of your licking it are really good….(Having dealt with depression…) I'm more compassionate, I'm more understanding and, ultimately, my life has been a lot fuller because I experienced this., he said in an interview with CBSCares. Dave Matthews, chart-topping musician, composer: Eventually, Dave began to descend into what was probably the lowest point of his adult life."I was depressed. It was not a good time for me…I was feeling remarkably alone… I don't want to be someone who writes about how sad I am, I'd rather write…with some sort of strength. Otherwise, I don't think there's any gift - or offering - being made. I would like to be an inspiring force. I want the music to make people think, but not think, "What's the point?" A new album, with an entirely new sound, essentially saved Dave's life; he finally felt good about what he'd accomplished.
William Styron,
Pulitzer Prize winning novelist: After being fired from McGraw-Hill for
tossing balloons out an office window, he co-founded the Paris Review.
His many books included the controversial The Confessions of Nat Turner,
about black slavery, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1968,
and Sophie's Choice, a poignant and dramatic account of the Holocaust,
which was made into a powerful and moving film. Anxiety
Disorders ...continued
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"Men
have called me mad," wrote Edgar Allan Poe, "but the question
is not yet settled, whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence--whether
much that is glorious--whether all that is profound--does not spring from
disease of thought--from moods of mind exalted at the expense of the general
intellect."
Ernest
Hemingway
Judy
Garland