This is only a short, partial list of writers who struggled with psychiatric disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. There are many artists, writers and composers who suffered from mental illness. Some committed suicide. In her book Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, Kay Redfield Jamison tackles the subject at length.
I have loved to read for as long as I can remember. I don't read as much for pleasure as I used to, but still this year I have read Walter Isaacson's excellent book Steve Jobs, E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and I'm halfway through Fair Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates. I also have been reading some poetry online by the brilliant Anaïs Nin.
It makes me sad that those who gave me so much were themselves so troubled. That those who gave me so many hours of happy reading were not happy themselves. That those who enriched my life, in some cases made the choice to end theirs.
Today we understand diseases of the mind much better, and there are interventions and medication available now that were not back in the day when some of these brilliant artists lived. The ability to create and express oneself is a priceless gift. It should never come at such a high cost.
Susan
"What the Water Gave Me" written by Florence Welch and Francis White
THis whole piece is eerily and likable..loveable...true.
ReplyDelete"It makes me sad that those who gave me so much were themselves so troubled. That those who gave me so many hours of happy reading were not happy themselves. That those who enriched my life, in some cases made the choice to end theirs."
Thank you, Ashley Girl!
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