To the many thoughts above…this article sure stirred up some responses! Depression in creative people differs, according to Marie Louise Von Franz who was Carl Jung’s immediate acolyte, from other kinds of depression. As a Psychotherapist, my first connection with a client involves questioning in such a way the distinction can be made between depression and creative depression. Creative depression doesn’t resolve at all in the same way as other forms of depression. It may be seen for example as the result when the tank is simply empty. Only time will let the physical and emotional energies replenish.

Someone mentioned on the sidebar that many many people have the same behaviour as the Fitzgeralds but these people are not famous. True. We try to connect destructive behaviour with creatives when we see the creatives. In other words when creative people become famous for their creativity they also become famous for other parts of their lives, in response to our desire to know others…at least at a gossipy level. That’s one reason why rags that examine the personal lives of famous people are so popular.

Many many people struggle with outrageous destructive behaviour and have little creativity to show for it. Some psychotherapies see creativity as a way out of destructive depressive behaviour.

What I believe we are coming to see is that Depression is not all the same beast. Sometimes it is the result of repressed rage, as therapists in earlier times knew. Sometimes it is the result of unused energy, or repressed parts of the self, those parts that are tossed aside in our society’s mantra “put it behind you” That load you feel? That’s the semi hauling all you’ve ever “put behind you” bearing down as you try to make a turn in life. Sometimes depression is a response to grief, through death, or grief through loss (of a job for instance or in divorce…grief for that marriage is a strong part of divorce for both parties) grief in parenting when one realizes the small child is never coming through that door again, because that child is now an adult. Sometimes depression results because we refuse to listen to our inner souls.

Enough said. Great article evoking lots of thoughts.