The Creative Brain and Mental Illness

Michael Shofi
ENG 201
Professor Richie
Michael Shofi

Prof. Richie

Writing in the Disciplines Honors

2 December 2018

The Creative Brain and Mental Illness

Kurt Cobaine, Elliott Smith, Robin Williams, Nick Drake, Anthony Bourdaine, Kate

Spade, etc. What do all of these famous, household names have in common? Of course, these

artists all have talent beyond belief and are immortalized by their fame, but they also each took

their own life after suffering from mental illness. We, as a society, are aware of the tragic deaths

of our favorite artists, but why does it seem that each year we lose more and more creative minds

to mental illness (specifically depression)? Creative brains are more susceptible to mental illness

than “normal” ones. Through the art that is created in one form or another by artists, the creative

brain is subject to stronger extremes. Isolation on one end and over-exposure at the other.

Crippling sadness and blinding happiness. Creating anything takes a toll, and ultimately changes

the way human brains are used.

I like to plan things in my life. It helps me manage the amount of anxiety I suffer from

day to day. I mark things down in my calendar, I set reminders on my phone, but every once and

a while something will slip through the cracks. About one week ago, I woke up in a cold sweat

from a dream reminding me of the scene I forgot to memorize (that I had to perform the next

day). I forced myself to get out of bed and drill the lines into my tired, stressed out brain. The

scene happened to involve very intense, emotional, topics that hit close to home in my personal
life. Before I knew it, I was having a hard time breathing and was having a full-on panic attack

that morning. It was a crippling, emotional exhaustion that I every so often experience, but

never get used to. When I read an article entitled, “‘I Had a Terror’: Emily Dickinson's Demon”

in the Southwest Review journal by Boston University professor, Seth Archer, I immediately

recalled this experience I had. Archer tells a story of a sudden terror he had while overwhelmed

in Times Square. His terror was later symptomatically diagnosed as a panic disorder by a variety

of doctors. Being the writing scholar that he is, Archer thought back to the words he had read by

Emily Dickinson:

You asked how old I was? I made no verse--but one or two--until

this winter--Sir--I had a terror--since September--I could tell to

no one--and so I sing, as the Boy does by the Burying

Ground--because I am afraid. (255)

There are dozens of poems and letters by Dickinson that address this “terror.” There have been

speculations, but no conclusions as to what it truly is. Professor Seth Archer has concluded

himself that it is a panic disorder she suffers from. The same debilitation Archer felt while

walking through Times Square was written about by one of the greatest poets of all time.

“It is easy to romanticize the life of Emily Dickinson… But the fact is, Emily Dickinson

lived her life imprisoned by a mental illness no one could make sense of, let alone treat.”

(Archer 255). This happens all too often with famed artists. How could they not be happy and

living their best life with the comfort of their art? While art can comfort, it can also hurt deeply.

“Still, according to psychiatrist Edmund J. Bourne, ‘anxiety problems seem to be brought on by a

variety of causes operating on numerous levels. These levels include heredity, biology, family

background and upbringing, conditioning, recent stressors, [one's] 'self-talk' and personal belief

system, [one's] ability to express feelings, and so on.’” (Archer 255). The key phrase here is,

“[one's] ability to express feelings.” Artists’ job is to express their feelings, so when a trigger for

anxiety disorder is repeated daily because it is their livelihood, it is also extremely stressing.

I would love to also examine another line written by Emily Dickinson. In one of the

quotes Seth Archer cited, Dickinson wrote “I could tell to no one” (referring to the terror she was

experiencing). Why did Emily Dickinson feel she could not tell anyone of a terror she

experienced? We exist in a society that (still) views mental illness as weakness. It may be

possible that mental illness is not as bad as we perceive it. What I mean is, when we stigmatize

something that is already so damaging to the human mind, we are moving in the wrong direction.

Treatment and therapy are options to benefit pretty much every illness in the human mind. If

Robin Williams fully understood and dealt with his extreme depression, it is possible he still

might be alive today. I am surely not suggesting that we can cure everyone’s mental ailments-

that is not possible. I am suggesting that if the stigma is removed from the picture and treatment

and attention are paid to the mental illness, artists could continue to create truthfully and more

healthily.

On my search for scholarly work concerning this topic, I came across a fascinating study

titled “Creativity and mental health: A profile of writers and musicians.” The journal, written by

KS Patriva, CR Chandrashekar, and Partha Choudhury is an illuminating evaluation of the

correlation between tortured souls and artists. They write: “Results of various studies and

anecdotal reports suggest an increased rate of schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder,

depression, personality disorder or alcoholism in creative individuals. While it is quite clear that
emotional instability is usually detrimental to creativity, it also may be advantageous. It may

provide the intense motivation, the conviction, egocentrism, the unconventionality, the

imagination and the inspiration so necessary for new discoveries and breakthroughs. It may also

allow the artist, writer, poet, composer and scientist to escape the powerful social and cultural

constraints that mostly favor conformity and convention.” (Patriva 34). The idea that emotional

instability helps artists create is weird to think about, but all too real to discount. Like yin and

yang, art is split in half with light and dark. This means that half of the art made comes from a

place of darkness. To truthfully represent the yin (darker side), the art needs to appear from this

place. Consider for example the singer-songwriter, Elliott Smith. He was a depressed alcoholic

whose melancholy music changed the alternative genre. He created his beautiful work,

motivated by his inner demons, but when he died, it was the same demons that took his life.

While thinking upon a topic like this, it is easy to disregard the actual severity of the

mental illness because of the motivation it gives countless artists. It spurs the creation of art!

What is better than that? Well, just as Yin and Yang are intertwined; mental health can be a

motivational tool, but can also be a dark pit leading to the demise of the artists… and what good

is motivation if the artist no longer exists to create art. “8 million deaths a year are linked to

mental illness” (Baker-Emory). This statistic speaks for itself. If we are losing eight million

individuals each year to mental illness, our race is just not operating at our full potential. The

inventions and art that are not being created because of mental illness-related deaths are tragic.

While this may not help my argument, it is necessary to address the problem with my

theory (that mental health issues are more prevalent in creative minds). You have countless

artists through the centuries who have been disturbed and suffered mentally, but what about the

lawyers, doctors, plumbers, etc. falling victim to depression? First of all, it should be
emphasized that your career does not define your life. Human beings are so incredibly complex

that it seems wrong to box anyone into groups. However, I believe we can all agree that there

are some people who are more creative and artistic than others. Margaret A. Boden says,

“Creativity is the ability to come up with ideas or artefacts that are new, surprising and

valuable.” (Boden 1). At the higher rate you create, the more stress is put on that artistic, right-

side of the brain. Take for example, Kate Spade, a very raw wound in our society. She created

the infamous line of handbags seen all over the USA, but also pretty much every other country.

She took her life on June 5th 2018. “Kate Spade had anxiety and depression for years, her

husband said. She had been going to doctors and taking medicine for her disease for five years.”

(Almasy, Steve). Here is a woman who operated at one of the highest levels of creativity. Her

audience was vast, she produced design after design to eventually have bags made and worn by

celebrities, and then judged by harsh critics. The pressure resting on creativity is enough to put

out some of the brightest lights we had in our society.

Some people argue that creativity and creative outlets are actually therapeutic to the

mentally ill brain (Parr 151). I cannot challenge this because it is very true. Art is very much

therapy. There is a reason people choose to go into artistic fields. There are a lot of hardships

and complications that come with these fields, but there is something so beautiful about the

creation of art that pulls people towards it despite the complications. Art is therapeutic, yes, but

for those who are immersed in it all the time, it can become incredibly overbearing and

emotionally defeating.

Growing up as an aspiring musician, the cultural phenomenon known as the “27 Club”

made itself known to me. At that young age, dozens of musicians, actors, and general artists

have died from drugs or alcohol (most often by intentional overdose traced back to mental
illness). “The risk for death for famous musicians throughout their 20’s and 30’s was two to

three times higher than the general UK population” (Wolkewitz, Martin). A lot of reasons

contribute to this statistic (one of the largest being age), but I would like to focus on their

profession. Being a musician myself, this area of research hits close to home. Writing music

and performing involves a great deal of emotional vulnerability. The same thing goes for actors

and actresses. There is a “release” that is needed to truthfully communicate their art. One of the

most important ingredients in this “release” is empathy. All artists are major empaths, to a

certain extent. Empathizing with another persons’ struggles, happiness, anger, and emotions in

general is draining. This helps explain the tragic idea of the “27 Club” to me, and while this

anomaly is perplexing still, the artistic minds of the world are dying at all ages. That cannot be

ignored.

As I mentioned before, this area of research hits me very close to home. It is still not

fully understood, but as an artistic mind who also suffers from mental illness, I hunger to figure

out as much as I can about it. Often, in the field I am pursuing (musical theatre), there are not

definitive answers to any questions. There is not one way to speak a line, nor is there one way to

play a symphony. The “answer” lies in communicating an understanding of something worth

saying. Through this paper, I hope convey an idea that I’ve had for years. The answer may not

be “cut and dry,” but that doesn’t dissuade me; all we can do is try.

In conclusion, I believe that this problem can be fixed. Optimistic as it sounds, the

treatment for mental health has improved drastically in the past century. Consider for example

the resources Emily Dickinson had when she was writing her poetry in 1850. The truth is, she

had no resources; no wonder she felt as if she could not speak of the terror she felt. The problem

lies in the stigma surrounding mental health in our society. Though some may argue otherwise,
there is still a weakness associated with having a mental illness. It is on occasion perceived as a

disability that prevents artists from producing top-notch work. Mental illness only has the

capability of hindering one’s performance or art if it is ignored. And even then, it does not seem

to be a hindrance at all. More accurately, it is a parasite that can take some of the best minds out

of this world for good. But (bear with me in this metaphor), if we could sedate the parasite so

that creatives feel happy and healthy enough to live long, healthy lives, then maybe the good

qualities of their work will stay. Now, when I say: “sedate the parasite,” all I really mean is to

pay attention to it. Acknowledge the existence of the parasite (mental illness) so that proper

treatment can ensue and the creativity can continue for as long as you naturally live.

Works Cited

Archer, Seth. "'I Had a Terror': Emily Dickinson's Demon." Southwest Review, vol. 94, no. 2,

2009, p. 255+. Literature Resource Center,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A201801793/GLS?u=nysl_me_pace&sid=GLS&xid=6448c5

50. Accessed 4 Nov. 2018.

Wolkewitz, Martin, et al. “Does the 27 Club Exist?” BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 343, no.

7837, 2011, pp. 1284–1286. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23066612.

Pavitra, K S et al. “Creativity and mental health: A profile of writers and musicians” Indian

journal of psychiatry vol. 49,1 (2007): 34-43,

http://www.indianjpsychiatry.org/article.asp?issn=0019-

5545;year=2007;volume=49;issue=1;spage=34;epage=43;aulast=Pavitra
Rothenberg, Albert. “Creativity and Mental Illness.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 8

Mar. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creative-explorations/201503/creativity-and-

mental-illness.

Boden, Margaret A. “The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms.” Routledge, 2004.

Almasy, Steve. “Kate Spade's Husband: She Battled Demons But Death Was Complete Shock.”

CNN, Cable News Network, 7 June 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/06/06/us/kate-spade-husband-

statement/index.html.

Parr, Hester. “Mental Health, the Arts and Belongings.” Transactions of the Institute of British

Geographers, vol. 31, no. 2, 2006, pp. 150–166. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3804378.

Baker-Emory, Kathy. “8 Million Deaths a Year Linked to Mental Illness.” Futurity, 12 Feb.

2015, www.futurity.org/mortality-mental-illness-855262/.