Is bipolor disease a gift?

Question

Check out this list of people-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_believed_to_have_been_affected_by_bipolar_disorder

Many artists, musicians, and writers have experienced its mood swings, and some credit the condition for their creativity........Many famous people are believed to have been affected by bipolar disorder, based on evidence in their own writings and contemporaneous accounts by those who knew them. Bipolar disorder is found in disproportionate numbers in people with creative talent such as artists, musicians, authors, poets, and scientists, and it has been speculated that the mechanisms which cause the disorder may also spur creativity. Many historical figures gifted with creative talents commonly cited as bipolar were "diagnosed" after their deaths based on letters, correspondence or other material.
From- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipolar_disorder

i believe that its true becuase having extreme moods is having extreme feelings. All of the most insightful things you think about are when you are at your happiest, or your saddest. I mean you don't think of creative stuff when at work or school and your bored.

Answer 1

absolutely not!it is an illness & should be treated by the guidance of a psychiatrist.

Answer 2

No, bipolar is not a gift. Bipolar is a very real affliction. As "daughters.." said before, we no doubt are prone to think of it as a disease of the gifted, but that is because they have a spotlight. I think what it proves is that bipolar is far more pervasive than most would like to believe.

Bipolar is a very disabling disorder. I am bipolar (not the least bit creative, I might add) and without medication I am incapable of being productive nor functional for long. I can go months, but at some point will take a deep dive.

There have been studies that suggest the vast majority of the homeless are bipolar. I can't site the study, but can see the logic. If I were unable to take medication, I too could see myself homeless. I wouldn't be capable of holding down a job. Hence, no paycheck, no house!

No, bipolar is not a gift. If it were, I'd love to give it away!

Answer 3

Look in the spirit of your question, and deliberately not taking it too seriously, I think there might be an element of truth in the notion that it could be a gift. I understand (though do not know) that bipolar is the new term for a spectrum of mental disorders from the plainest most boring obsessive compulsive disorder (say like counting your steps...everywhere) to outright full blown schitzophrenia (say where multiple personalities each have a day cycle...). The latter can be quite phsychotic. If we focus on the lesser part of the spectrum and the disorder is well managed, I can imagine that certain thoughts, otherwise unavailable to the rest of us, could be a part of these people's lives: and yes, I suppose they could be very creative. An interesting question, what made you think of it...

Answer 4

Bipolar is one of those overdiagnosed conditions. I had a friend diagnosed as mildly bipolar, because sometimes he was happy, sometimes he was depressed. He wasn't bipolar. He was happy when he was having a good time. And depressed when he was taking a major he didn't like, had no girlfriend, and was out of work. Sometimes it's just life, not a disorder. Now, I do know someone else who is bipolar. He spends half the time running around spenindg $$ he doesnt have, getting arrested for stupid things, and generally making everyone hate him. he spends the rest of the time half asleep in front of the tv. Niether time does he actually have a grasp on reality. Ask his friends and family if it's "a gift".

Answer 5

Well bipolar disorder used to be manic depression. A lot of famous people suffered from it. Maybe it sounds as if creative people are more prone to it but maybe it's because we hear more about creative people having the disorder than we do about the average person having it.

Answer 6

It depends on which way you want to go.

Bipolar people can turn on a dime, not good in some instances. Smiling one second and ready to bite your head off the next. Not exactly the type of creativity that I admire.

Answer 7

bipolar does fuel creativity, but it also hampers the full utilization of it. For every person on that list that somehow has been able to bypass the negatives of bipolar, there are dozens that might have that masterpiece in their mind or even solidly put down on paper, but they cant break free enough to capitalize on in.

I think one of the best, and saddest, examples is John Kennedy Toole who wrote Confederacy of Dunces, he killed himself and years later his book got published and won the Pulitzer prize for literature.

Answer 8

It is a gift for many..if they become attuned to what it can represent to them. There is another featue which is showing up in our time....Many of these people also see things most of us are unable to see. They see into the unseen realm of our existence. They also are told they are hallucinating.. Who ever is right, we may never know.

Answer 9

I knew a guy who was bi-polar. He shot himself.

Answer 10

If you consider making millions of others unhappy then sure it is