Bipolar Disorder

As many of you already know, I am bipolar. Some of you may wonder why I would put this out there for the public to see. The reason is to get rid of stigmas. I stumbled upon an article in the Science section of the New York Times yesterday. It talked about this British reality TV show where 5 people with mental illnesses were put in a house with 5 mentally healthy people. They were all put in situations that were meant to bring out symptoms of mental illnesses. At the end of the show, all 10 people were put in front of a group of psychiatrists who had observed them and only 2 of the 5 people with a mental illnesses were correctly diagnosed. The psychiatrists misdiagnosed 3 healthy people as having some sort of mental disorder. While this shows how tricky diagnosis can be, it also shows that people who are treated for mental disorders are usually able to control their disorders and function in society. I tried to post the link to the article but you must be a member of nytimes.com. Nonetheless, it's called "To Fight Stigmas, Start With Treatment".

Anyways, today I'll focus on the creative side of bipolar disorder. As some of you may not know, there is a strong correlation between creative people and those with bipolar disorder. Some famous people known as bipolar include Kurt Cobain, Kurt Vonnegut, Vincent van Gogh, Mark Twain, Ben Stiller, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Beethoven, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, and Robin Williams. Without bipolar disorder, many of the artistic work created by these people may have never been created. Personally, whenever I swing to either a high or low, I become much more creative. I write poetry, short stories, play music, and in general think more creatively. Some famous people you would never think of being bipolar are Winston Churchill, Ted Turner, and Teddy Roosevelt. I'll move onto some songs that talk about being bipolar.

I mentioned that Kurt Cobain was bipolar. One of Nirvana's most famous songs, "Lithium", deals with his struggle with the mood swings. One of the hardest parts of being bipolar is the difference between the manic and depressed states. Being depressed is one of the worst things a human being can endure. You are worthless, can't get out of bed, and even the most routine of tasks is a gigantic effort. On the other hand, being manic is the best feeling in the world. No drug, no matter how good it makes you feel, can even compare. You feel larger than life, think you can accomplish anything, and are completely carefree. Cobain captures the ups and downs in this song, "I'm so happy 'cause today I found my friends." This part talks of the highs. He goes on to say "they're in my head." This is most likely a reference to the hallucinations that can come with an extreme manic state. Next, he jumps straight to depression, "I'm so ugly," characterizing the feelings of worthlessness and total lack of self-confidence that come with the lows. As you know, Cobain eventually committed suicide but left us with some timeless music before he left. Here's the link to the song:

"Lithium" - Nirvana

Next, I'll move on to Jimi Hendrix. While he was never diagnosed as bipolar, many people assume, based on his moods and behaviors, that he most likely was. This, of course, could be attributed to his heavy use of drugs. Nonetheless, he wrote one song called "Manic Depression" so I'm going to say that he was probably bipolar. The ends of the verses state, "Manic depression is catchin' my soul" and then "Manic depression is a frustrating mess". Here's a link to the song. Scroll down to the bottom of the page, right click the link, and hit save link as:

"Manic Depression" - Buddy Miles & Billy Cox

The final song that I'll post that deals with Bipolar Disorder is "I Go To Extremes" by Billy Joel. Joel has openly admitted that this song is about his struggles with the highs and lows of bipolar disorder. The chorus states, "Darling, I go to extremes. Too high or too low, there ain't no in-betweens. And if I stand or if I fall, it's all or nothing at all." Here's the link:

"I Go To Extremes" - Billy Joel

Sorry to be talking about such a serious subject but I find it fascinating and love talking about it and my own experiences with it. The more I talk to people about it, the more I realize how many people deal with different types of mental disorders, mostly Bipolar and Depression. As the Times article pointed out, the more people with mental disorders that are open about it and function normally in society, the more the stigmas associated with these diseases will fall away.

Alright so I'll throw up some upbeat music to lighten up the mood. I'll start with one of the best songs I've heard in a while. It's the Fred Falke Remix of the song "New In Town" by Little Boots. This song just makes you feel happy. Scroll down the page and then right click the link, and hit save link as:

"New In Town (Fred Falke Remix) - Little Boots

From the same page, check out "Solid Gold (Russ Chimes Remix)" - Circlesquare.

I'm also into these three songs (you might recognize Blacklight Flashlight from their song "We're In Space" which you should definitely check out if you don't already have it):

"Rave Is King (Le Castle Vania Remix)" - FUKKK OFFF

"Disco Sirens (Blacklight Flashlight Remix)" - Midfield General

"& Down (Nightbreaker Remix)" - Boys Noize

Here's another jam from Blacklight Flashlight called "A Light Year in the Dark". Really uptempo with a bunch of real cool sounds going on. Right click and save link as for this one:

"A Light Year in the Dark" - Blacklight Flashlight

To close out, I'll leave with a video of this band called The Bridge that my friend Dan showed me. This video is of them playing the song "Drop the Beat". The song starts out with this guy beatboxing and eventually commanding "drop the beat". The bass then comes in with some silky smooth grooves. The guitar eventually comes in adding some rhythm. Just when you think it couldn't get any better, the sax player jumps in and tops off a brilliant song. I really can't thank Dan enough for showing me these guys. I had never heard of them and they're very legit. Here's the YouTube clip of them playing "Drop the Beat":



Have a great day