Creativity and Recovering From Mental Illness

When I was first diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, despite my young age, I was told that I would need to take medication. Probably for the rest of my life. I wondered, as many people do, if medication would change me. Sure, I was told it would make me well and make my life easier, but I was not sure what that really meant. Would I still be me?

The Connection Between Creativity and Mental Illness

It has been argued that mental illness can spur creativity. When we fly too high, we might create beautiful art or we might drain our bank accounts shopping. When we fall into depression, perhaps we use that pain to write or to sing. On the other side, we might be too sick to even speak or rise from bed.

It is largely because of this, this notion that we are most creative when we are ill, that people do not seek help. It’s frightening having a mental illness, but it’s equally frightening having to take medication that may or may not affect our level of cognitive functioning or creative abilities.

Medicating Creativity

I am a writer, an artist, and I play guitar. My life has always been defined by both the cycle of my illness and, more so, the ability to express this creativity with a pen, a paintbrush or music. It has kept me alive more times than I can recall. And I suspect many people can relate to this. Music and art are a gateway in which people can escape, if only for a little while, and find themselves.

When I was sick, I was less creative. While this is not the case for everyone diagnosed with a mental illness, it is more common than people assume. When you are ill, when your mind is chemically unbalanced, it can hinder creativity. Before I was properly diagnosed and treated, I would sit in front of my computer, my hands on the keys, but not able to move them. I willed my mind to make writing possible; I would type a couple sentences, read them, and walk back to bed. Defeated. More often than not, my illness, when untreated, made it impossible for me to be creative. I was simply too sick.

The Benefits of Medicating Mental Illness

It isn’t easy finding medications that work. It’s often a long process and it is certainly not pleasant. But being sick is, in my opinion, much worse. If you think about mental illness from a biological point of view, it is partially defined by a chemical imbalance, neurons not working properly, serotonin too high or too low. Medication can level things out. In doing so, you can become well.

Your mind might race less or you might be able to face the day without fear. Your creativity, your passion, still exists. You have nothing to lose: your mind, your intellect, will always be yours. The creative side of you will never be lost and, with any luck, it will flourish.