History is replete with examples of creative genius. Virtually all the great writers, artists, etc seem to have been depressed or alcoholic. I seek examples of great creators who were not so affected. What did these people posess that allowed artistic brilliance without the pain of depression etc?

-- StevenW. York, M.D. (stevey@westworld.com), July 24, 2002

Answers

Was Aristotle depressed or alcoholic? Was Leonardo da Vinci? Was Shakespeare?

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), July 25, 2002.

Parents who saw and heard them (celebrated them) as unique separate people. With women, fathers who believed they could achieve in the world. A sense of competency.Education, enough money so that survival was not threatened. Wise Love. Engaged peers and family members. Travel.. exposure to the arts. good genes and enough seratonin. Katherine Hepburn atributed her success to parents who absolutely supported and adored her. I'd like to hear moreabout your interest in this topic as I work mainly with artists, writers, and performers, as a therapist in Boston. Thanks. Shawn

-- shawn m. mcgivern (counsel@world.std.com), February 12, 2003.

da vinchie and shakespear were both manic depressives.

-- Dennis Engel (engelsbie@yahoo.com), March 10, 2003.

I have to wonder where Dennis Engel got the information he reports. Diagnostic categories such as "manic-depressive" were, of course, not in existence at the times of Leonardo ("da Vinci" was his location, not his name) and Shakespeare. What is more, almost nothing at all is known with certainty about Shakespeare's life (which is why there's so much nonsense running around about various other people having been the "real" author of his plays), so how could *anyone* know, of all things, that he was "manic-depressive"

-- Christopher Green (cgreen@chass.utoronto.ca), March 10, 2003.

It seems that critics of our time enjoy painting romantic ideals of drunk and disorderly artists in antiquity. No doubts that some artists were effected by psychological states that we in our time may recognise to be disorders such as Manic depression; but it seems far too easy to label both ourselves and others using psychology. When one deals with issues of psychology, one must remember that it is theory based, often Euro-centric and has never been really substantiated- it has not even achieved a credible scientifc status. Maybe our times obsession with labeling creativity as a kind of madness is actually a sign of the uncreative and monotounous existence we have... By removing and romanticising creativity it validates our society's increased dullness.

-- David Allamouti (d.allamouti@btinternet.com), September 17, 2004.