Bi-Polar Disorder and Creativity

Bi-polar disorder, also known as manic-depression, is a mood disorder recognized by its periods of mania and depression. These periods can last hours, days, weeks or months. Often, there are periods of wellness between these episodes where there are few to no symptoms present. People with bi-polar disorder actually experience four types of mental states which are depression, hypomania, mania and mixed-state. Sometimes when a person is in extreme mania or depression they will also …

…rates. This was exemplified in the case of Van Gogh. During the depressive states, the motivation to create is lost and during manic episodes, an explosive desire to create has shown to manifest. People with bi-polar disorder wrestle with their emotional turmoil from both a positive and negative approach; surely this introspection and feeling of extreme highs and lows in emotion provide a deeper well from which to draw and use in the creative process.