Posted by BarbaraCat on May 25, 2002, at 19:44:51
In reply to Re: Cyclothymia mood stabilizers » Zo, posted by PamelaLynn on May 25, 2002, at 12:11:38
Kate Refield Jamison, who is Bipolar herself, has written a great book about this called Touched by Fire. It chronicles many of earlier poets and composers and makes a convincing case that most of the great minds in the art world have been bipolar. The artistic temperment and talent is a blessing and gift that does not go away. It may become rerouted for a while and the wild ecstacy may become tamed, but that wild passion is wired into our soul. I believe there are meds that can cause us to become drooling zombies, but that's not what we're alluding to here with the stabilizers.
What Zo metioned about a more mature expression is so true. I am abundantly blessed in many artistic areas - music, art, dance, cooking, you name it. I pick things up easily and do them well and visions swirl and dance in my mind. But it's been the heartbreak of my life that I've been too depressed and mentally disorganized to successfully sustain anything. I'd start a class, lessons, a paying job and have to bail out midway because IT would hit.
Just a few months ago I was on the toilet reading Oprah crying my eyes out in despair 'How do these women do these things?'. I was so utterly depressed, scattered and defeated. That was before adding lithium to my brew. For the first time in so very long I'm on the right med combo and am starting to tentatively spread my wings. I have to get over the fact that I'm now 51 and despair that it's 'too late'. Too late for who and what? I'm getting a belly dance class together and already it's almost full. I definitely have not run out of creative ideas! It's gonna one hot class!!
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:9730
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020525/msgs/107612.html