* A study of over 1,000 famous 20th century artists and writers found they experienced 2 to 3 times the rate of psychosis, suicide attempts, mood disorders and substance abuse than did comparably successful people in business, science and public life. -Manic-Depressive Illness and Creativity, by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, Scientific American, vol. 272, Feb. 1995
* A study of earlier generations of writers and artists found that their incidence of depression was 8 to 10 times higher than the general population, their incidence of manic depressive disorder was 10 to 20 times higher, and their suicide rate was up to 18 times higher. -1992 study by A. Ludwig, Univ. of Kentucky as cited in Manic-Depressive Illness and Creativity, Scientific American, vol. 272, Feb. 1995
* Major depression ranks first among the causes of disability worldwide. -Surgeon General's Mental Health Report, 1999
* Over 60% of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression. -American Foundation of Suicide Prevention (AFSP), 2003
* Over 29,000 Americans die by suicide each year. A person dies by suicide about every eighteen minutes in the U.S. An attempt is made an estimated once a minute. It's this country's 11th leading cause of death. -AFSP, 2003
Shortly before his death Joe was diagnosed with major depression. This diagnosis, in hindsight, seems to fit the behavior patterns that we saw during the last two years of Joe's life.
There appears to be scientific and other evidence of a connection between this type of mental illness and creative mental processes. Joe was creative. He was diagnosed with major depression and he committed suicide. In our efforts to understand the links between creativity and depression we have assembled the information presented below.
Some Links of Interest...
the connection is a radio program produced by wbur.org that airs daily on National Public Radio. A recent program titled "The Science of Suicide" can be heard by clicking the link below if your computer is equipped with software with which to play audio programs. Researchers at Columbia University are probing the human brain for clues that could help answer the "why?" that haunts the loved ones left behind, while offering hope to those predisposed to self-destruction. - (Thursday, February 06, 2003)
Life is fleeting. And for the 30,000 Americans who end their lives every year, that's 80 suicides a day, one every 18 minutes, life is also unbearable. Twice as many people in this country die at their own hand every year than are murdered. Twice as many are lost to despair than to HIV/AIDS.
Science already knows who: The addicted. The mentally ill. The distressed. The inconsolable. Now, important new research is helping to answer why. And if researchers at Columbia University are on the right track, the answers could help loved ones and medical professionals better understand how to identify, and help, those most at risk. Science, suicidal tendencies, and what the biology of the brain can tell us about self-destructive behavior.
Depression is often misunderstood and therefore often goes untreated. Improved awareness about depression and how it affects the many people who suffer with it will help those suffering to get help. Improved awareness of the link between depressiona and suicide can help idnetify those most at risk.
check your understanding and awareness about depression and suicide by taking this simple test...
From the NPR website, Morning Edition page,
click on--->Listen to Morning Edition audio
Just click on the headline or the audio icon to listen to the story. You'll need an audio player to hear it, and you can find the right one for your computer at <http://www.npr.org/audiohelp/audioplayers.html>. If you have any problems, please visit the NPR audio help page <http://www.npr.org/audiohelp/index.html>.
Sept. 24, 2003 -- Bipolar disorder can occur in children as young as five or six years old. The disorder is also known as manic depression, for the mood swings that shift -- sometimes quickly and often -- from manic highs to deep depressions. In the third story this week on children and mental illness, NPR's Michelle Trudeau reports that bipolar disorder in children may have particularly severe symptoms.
This page was last updated: May 18, 2005
'Against Depression' Urges Ending a Disease
Peter D. Kramer's new book is Against Depression. In it, the author of Listening to Prozac puts forth an understanding of depression as a modern scourge. Kramer argues that depression should be considered a disease -- and treated as such. Kramer is a clinical professor of psychiatry at Brown University.
Recommended by Andrea...
Here's a link to an interview on NPR with Peter Kramer. Very informative discussion about Depression in general...and the links - perceived or otherwise - between Depression and creativity.
