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Depression, Women and Creativity by Douglas Eby Although there may
not be any inherent connection, mood disorders often impact creative
expression. About
1 percent of the general population suffer from manic-depression
(bipolar disorder) and 5 percent from major depression during their
lifetime. But the incidence for women is twice as high or more; as many
as one in five American women has a history of depression. "All
the same, recent studies indicate that a high number of established
artists meet the diagnostic criteria for depression... In fact, it
seems that these diseases can sometimes enhance or otherwise contribute
to creativity." "In
response, she stifles her creativity... perhaps the most insidious and
common manifestation of repressed creativity in women is depression." Consultant,
writer and educator Annemarie Roeper affirms that "giftedness can be
both a positive and a negative force. It is a burden when it has no
channel for expression and it is not understood... Unsupportive
environments can lead to depression, to the suppression of one's
abilities, even to feelings of desperation that could become
self-destructive." (Advanced Development Journal, 1991) "The
drive to express their inner creativity is heightened in many gifted
individuals, and when the drive to create meets the wall of shame, it
implodes into numbness, rage, depression, and hopelessness." She
also notes that it is well known among researchers of the gifted,
talented and creative that these individuals "exhibit greater intensity
and increased levels of emotional, imaginational, intellectual, sensual
and psychomotor excitability, and that this is a normal pattern of
development." Dr.
Linda Silverman, Director of the Institute for the Study of Advanced
Development in Denver, has also cautioned that this higher level of
excitability and intensity may be perceived and misdiagnosed as manic
depression. She
has said she's had to battle "the demons" of mental illness throughout
her adult life. Just before her disappearance last spring, and an
episode of living as a homeless person in downtown Los Angeles, she had
been working on her memoirs, titled "Calamities", for 10 to 12 hours a
day. Kidder
said "It's very hard to convince a manic person that there is anything
wrong with them." She has since been getting treatment, including
medication, and receiving a great deal of support from her family and
the public, and has returned to work, both as a writer and actress. "For
gifted women who seek to overturn the psychosocial, religious, and
historical forces that limit all women's potential as persons and
citizens, resilience is essential, however arduous its achievement
might be. "Resilience is a trifold process of recognizing and resisting the intrinsic and extrinsic obstacles that inhibit the development of one's potential and taking responsibility for the evolution of ourselves, our cultures, and our world." ~ ~ Douglas
Eby writes about creative growth and talent development, especially
related to gifted women. He has written for New Perspectives - A
Journal of Conscious Living; Mensa Bulletin, and other magazines, and
has an MA in Psychology. See
his Women & Talent site at: www.womenandtalent.com
-----Selected books Andy Behrman. Electroboy : A Memoir of Mania David
Burns. The Feeling Good Handbook Patty Duke. A Brilliant Madness [on her experiences with bipolar disorder] Dennis Greenberger, Christine A. Padesky. Mind Over Mood D. Jablow Hershman. Manic Depression and Creativity Kay Redfield Jamison. Touched With Fire - Manic Depressive Illnes & the Artistic Temperament Eric Maisel, PhD. The Van Gogh Blues - The Creative Person's Path Through Depression ~ ~ ~ more ...Depression articles....... depression books ......related
pages: depression......depression::
teen/young adult..... depression relief : products / programs...... ~ ~ ~ |
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