Creative Minds and Depression Go Hand in Hand

Science, in all its wisdom, knows very little about how the human mind actually works. There is no definitive answer about why many creative, artistically driven people are more likely to suffer from periods of severe depression. In fact, many artistic people testify they need to be depressed to put forth their best work.

Songwriters, actors, painters and poets; throughout the ages we have seen many faces of the tortured artist. It may in fact, be more than legend. In recent years, there have been numerous studies conducted to understand the link between the creative mind and depression. The fact that so many famous celebrities have begun openly discussing their battles with depression, has helped validate the belief that creativity and depression are inexplicably connected.

Which comes first – depression or creative flow?

The human mind is full of wonders we will never understand in our lifetime. Many believe that when a person is in a state of depression, raw emotions and feelings dwell close to the surface. Therefore, artistic connection is a natural outlet to pour out the many thoughts and feelings weighing down the soul.

If this is the case, it could mean that depression is the force behind creativity. To be sure, many artistic people state they are at their best when they feel their worst. However, what if it’s the other way around?

Haunting melodies, touching words, and dramatic interpretations that reach out and touch the heart of the audience require an intrinsic ability to eloquently express the deepest emotional core. Is a person who is naturally and intuitively creative, inadvertently triggering depression when they focus on their craft? When we open the artistic side of our minds to the depths of our emotion, do we become more vulnerable to depression as well?

We simply don’t know. To be sure, many creative and artistic people have never experienced an episode of depression at all. This alone should be enough to settle the debate. Yet it doesn’t appear to be quite so simple. We don’t know why some people are more dominantly creative, while others are not. Just like we don’t know why some people excel in science, math or other avenues.

The mind makes connections, observes and relates. It holds every thought we think, every move we make, every feeling, every breath, every dream. It balances us and gives us correction when it thinks we need it.

A person with back problems develops a limp, not because of the spine, but because of the eyes. The mind always wants to see, and therefore realigns our body from the eyes down. Do those gifted people who dream in colour also force the mind to rebalance the output? It is certainly plausible that the link between creativity and depression is simply the mind trying to balance the weight of emotions.

Left without the positive effects of a creative outlet, depression is in fact overwhelming and consuming. It’s reasonable to believe the mind would find a way to counterbalance against that sense of darkness. In fact, many therapists successfully use artistic expression, such as art or writing, to help the sufferer of depression pour out their trapped feelings.

Creative expression, even when the end product is heartbreakingly sad, is still a positive stimulant of the mind. It is the buoyant contrary to the weight of depression. Whether creativity is the trigger that brings on depression, or a natural defence to help combat it, we simply don’t know. What we do know is this: from the depths of despair we can produce beautiful brilliance. Maybe the hows and whys are not for us to know.

More from Heather:

Me! Me! Me!: Narcissistic Personality Disorder

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