Bipolar Disorder Forum | Bipolar Disorder Discussions

Artist - anything that involves creativity, i got a great progress with it

scubadude wrote:

You may want to start with the book "Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament" (Free Press; 1993) by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison.  Here is a nice link about her works: http://www.oflikeminds.com/KayRedfieldJamison.htm

or check this link:
http://ask.metafilter.com/44391/Do-I-pi … -suffering

That book seems really really interesting. I've always been a bit creative, but when I go hypomanic/manic, my creativity seems to reach incredible heights. I remember during my first hypomanic phase, I picked up a guitar and I played it like I never had before, so flawlessly and accurately. I think there definitely is a connection between BP and artistic ability.

I'd love to read this book. Would you happen to know a place where I can dl the ebook? I'm in Mexico and I doubt I could find it here. Reading isn't very popular here, sadly....and books are also really expensive.

Last edited by DyonisuS (2008-05-22 00:43:32)

I picked up a copy of "Touched with Fire" a couple of weeks ago.  I hope to start reading it over the next couple of weeks.

I'm starting to believe that the creative link with bipolar disorder might have something to do with the range and extremes in mood that is open to us.  Our minds spend more time continuously functioning in far extremes of the spectrum of consciousness and I think this provides us with a very unique experience of life and mind.  As horrible or amazing that some days do feel, there are great insights that are derived from both extremes.

I wrote about a similar topic on my blog (link below).  I found a newspaper article that threw an interesting perspective on this topic (included at the bottom of the blog entry).

Finding the Cure for Genius

DyonisuS wrote:

I'd love to read this book. Would you happen to know a place where I can dl the ebook? I'm in Mexico and I doubt I could find it here. Reading isn't very popular here, sadly....and books are also really expensive.

DyonisuS,

I am not sure if Amazon can ship to Mexico, but it is worth a look... the retail price is $10.20 USD.  You can also read a bit about the book here:

http://www.amazon.com/Touched-Fire-Mani … amp;sr=8-1

Oh you may want to start a new post and see if anyone here (or on other BP's forums) can send you a used copy.

You can also check the library near you.  I didn't buy the book but I borrowed it from the library.

Just some thoughts.

Hi I have found a job that is suited to any one who is bi polar (me)...about three months ago i was offered and took a job as a peer support worker on the mh ward of the local hospital. My job is to take the time to listen to patients because the doctors and nursing staff don't have the time to because of their work load.


I have become some who has credibility...is genuine...honestly cares...and has real empathy for others. You really can't begin to help until you have been where the people i work with are now. The actual job consists of setting up an appointment with the mental health support staff to come on wednesday or thursday to visit with patients who want or need some one from the "out side" to talk with.

Visits take place either in the common room or if the patient feels comfortable and secure enough in their room. I usually start off by introducing myself and telling a little bit about my journey from the mh ward to where i am today. Then to open up the discussion i usually ask "what brought you here?"

After that the floor is open to discuss just about anything...the patient leads where the discussion goes and i only stop the conversation to clarify a point or to ask what i might think is an important question. Visits can be as brief as 15 minutes or as long as 2 hours.

Here is one job where living with a mental illness is a benefit...i find that there are a lot of common experiences...feelings...emotions and fears that can be mutulally shared. I offer hope by example...i offer what ever positive examples i have experienced. I try to play down the negative side of the illness and show the postive side of the illness. I also what ever coping skills i have to help manage symptoms.

My two best examples are since being diagnosed with bipolar are my new found writing skills and a killer sense of humor. I try to tell the person i am talking with that having mental illness is not a death sentance...it just means ending one type of life and starting another.

I have grown i(and learned about mental illness) in many ways since becoming a peer support worker...i now have a confidance i never had...my sense of self worth has grown...i has responsabilities...i have earned a rare trust from the hospital...i have respect from the doctors and the nurses on the mh floor.

Most importantly i know i am doing well by the comments i receive from the patients as the visit is ending...the best comment to date was from "Sarah" i had visited with her several times...each time she thought she could make it but she would end up back in hospital.

Today she is leaving to back home for good...the comment she gave me was that she had enjoyed our time together and that the talks we had shared had helped her a lot. For the most part she talked and i listened.  I treated her like an intellegent person...i treated with with respect...i didn't dismiss or down play any thing she shared with me...and i helped her as much as my job would allow me to.

The things that make my job work and work well are that the person sitting in front of you always comes first...they are always to be treated with respect no matter how ill they are...any thing they share is to be treated with respect...despite the fact that i have a job title and a name badge i am no better or in any way superior to the patient...always be willing to share anything about your own illness...be open and honest at all times.

Once you have earned this persons trust do not betray it...and what is shared between myself and the patient (no matter what) stays between the patient and myself.

This is a great job and i will continue to do it until my employer tells me to stop.


Shoe

I teach.  It's great.

There are certain professions which wouldn't be ideal.  I went through the constable selection process for Toronto Police and in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't get it.  Agreed on the shift work and - the stress would be a bad combination.

That said, I have a friend here who has more serious bipolar issues than I have, and he's in the military.  There's stress and shift work right there.

The well-respected book Manic-Depressive Illness 2ed by Goodwin and Jamison has this to say:

... sleep loss is often a precursor and/or precipitant of hypomania or mania in bipolar patients. ... maintaining stable sleep-wake cycles is of central importance to the maintenance of stability in bipolar illness...

This is not to say that your experience/opinion is not valid, hugs, it's just to say that the current thinking is that shift work is a bad idea for many of us.

Trust me, hypomania is a good thing for me. It's the touch of madness that keeps me alive.

They say that shift work is bad for "normal" people, too. I'm not defending shi(f)t work necessarily, I just found that in my life the stress I had with shift work was more related to the uncertainty of the number of hours I'd get and whether I could afford my bills.

Ideally for me would actually be casual or freelance work so that I could choose when to work and am not expected to punch in & punch out type of thing. I seriously want to pursue a career in writing. I'm not quite there yet so I'm working in a book store and doing small freelance gigs when I get them. Next week I don't work as much so I'm going to work on writing books.

Last edited by hugs (2008-09-07 04:31:50)

scorpioIris wrote:

I'm attending college right now to become a medical secretary. It's an on the job training program so it's kinda giving me an idea of what it will be like. I'm still worried if I can hack it because i have to deal with alot of people. Sometimes I get really paranoid around people, especially large groups.

Hello Iris..I just graduated from college and now work as a spa receptionist. At first I feared that I might not be productive at work because of my conditions. But now, everything seems to be working out just fine. It is not easy but if you love what you do, I am sure everythings possible. Good luck on your studies.