mIEKAL: I can't say for sure what edge, if any, I have from being diagnosed as bi-polar II, especially since I also have an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which has been far more painful and destructive in my life. I also have never published a book of poems. No edge there. So the "edge" might be only in somehow being able to more easily ignite my thoughts when I am experiencing a natural HIGH, and an ability (or disability) in being able to feel more deeply when in a depressed state. One is more delicate and elegant, dare I say?
"We of the craft are all crazy," remarked Lord Byron about himself and his fellow poets. "Some are affected with gaiety, others by melancholy, but all are more or less touched." I recommend a book called TOUCHED BY FIRE: Manic-Depressive (bi-polar) Illness & the Artistic Temperament, by Kay Redfield Jamison. It is available in paperback, and used copies are available for under $5 dollars at Amazon. About 100 customer comments at Amazon will also definitely let you know whether you would want to read the book or not. Bob BrueckL From: mIEKAL aND <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Sat Dec 17 09:47:05 CST 2005 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: dopamine On Dec 17, 2005, at 9:43 AM, Vernon Frazer wrote: > HI Bob > > You rmessage just vanished when I tried to reply a moment ago, so > I'm responding to the parts I remember the best. > > A fair number of our greatest writers have been bipolar. My > diagnosis 11 years ago > taught me the influence brain chemistry has on creativity. Writing > isn't easy, so we have to use anything that gives us an edge. I'm curious what edge your bipolarity gives you?
