Posted by rhonda on December 13, 2000, at 16:24:50
In reply to Depression and the artistic temperament (long), posted by S. Howard on December 13, 2000, at 13:34:58
> Smd--
I applaud you for standing by your son. I have had to drop out of college 2 times in the last 5 years for hospitalizations. In some ways, my story is like your son's. I graduated first in my high school class. I went on to college and carried a 3.5 while working three jobs. After being independent of my parent's for about 3 years, I had to move back home. This was very disappointing for me because I desperately wanted to take care of myself. Now I have a better relationship with my parents and family than I ever did before. By dealing with the illness together, we have grown into a more caring family unit. I have tried many different medications, and nothing really worked until I had ECT's. Now I am maintaining fairly well, but I am still not working. Hopefully soon I will be. I want to encourage you to stay involved with your son's well-being. My parents and brothers have meant so much to me through these last few years. Best of luck with your son's healing.
> Smd-
> First of all, I would like to say that my heart goes out to you. What a nightmare for you and your son. Second, I would never suggest "letting him go" even if you could. Although he's adult, offering love and support to him while he's in crisis does not constitute being overly
> protective, IMHO.
>
> I would like to recommend an excellent book to you...while I've recommended it several times to other people,it seems to apply more to both of you than anyone. It's called "Touched With Fire" by Kay R. Jamison. Here are some comments from the book jacket:
>
> "The anguished, volatile intensity we associate with the artistic temperament, often described as 'a fine madness', has been thought of as a defining aspect of much artistic genius...Drawing on extraordinary recent advances in genetics, neuroscience, and psychopharmacology, Jamison presents the now incontrovertible proof of the biological foundations of this frequently misunderstood disease, and applies what is known about the illness to the lives of some of the world's greatest artists -Byron, van Gogh, Shelley, Poe, Melville, Schumann, Coleridge, Virginia Woolf, Burns, and many others...Jamison reviews the substantial findings from biographic and scientific studies that demonstrate a markedly increased rate of severe mood disorders and suicide in artists, writers, and composers, and discusses reasons why this link between mania, depression, and artistic creativity might exist. Manic-depressive illness, a surprisingly common disease, is genetically transmitted...In some instances - for example, Tennyson and Byron -
> these psychiatric pedigrees are traced back more than 150 years...Psychiatric treatment of artists
> remains a fiercely controversial issue. Dr. Jamison discusses both the advantages and problems with current treatments, and advocates a humanistic yet firmly medical approach. However, she strongly cautions against simplistic attempts to cure this most human and tragic of all diseases
> at the expense of destroying the artistic personality."
>
> Best wishes,
> Gracie
>
> "I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much." -Mother Teresa
poster:rhonda
thread:50415
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001130/msgs/50517.html