I am not star-struck and although I'd love to be rich, I have no desire to be famous. Nonetheless, I decided to do a a bit of research to see who else had (or has) bipolar disorder - after all, the only people I "know" who live in the same boat are the 4 people I met at the first support group meeting I attended last week.
How did we ever manage without google? In a mere second I found a very interesting list of Famous People with Bipolar Disorder. There were some names that were not particularly surprising... perhaps because I'd heard or read somewhere that they lived with bipolar disorder long before I understood what that really meant. I felt a sudden surge of sadness and an almost overwhelming sense of empathy when seeing names like van Gogh, Virginia Woolfe and Phyllis Hyman, an amazing R&B stylist who committed suicide years ago. I remember vividly attending what no one ever imagined would be her last concert, in the prime of her career, only 5 days before she ended her life. I had no idea before that night that she'd endured so much, but the pain in her eyes and her voice was undeniable as she sang her heart out that night.
It would have been easy to become fearful and depressed at first glance. But the more I looked at the list, I was also struck by an entirely different emotion - hope. I was surprised and encouraged to see the names of many people who despite their struggles have found a way to harness the creative aspects of bipolar disorder and craft them into successful and significant careers... Jane Pauley, Alvin Ailey, Sting, Patricia Cornwell and Tracy Ullman to name a few. If they can pursue their dreams in spite of bipolar disorder, then maybe so can I.
How did we ever manage without google? In a mere second I found a very interesting list of Famous People with Bipolar Disorder. There were some names that were not particularly surprising... perhaps because I'd heard or read somewhere that they lived with bipolar disorder long before I understood what that really meant. I felt a sudden surge of sadness and an almost overwhelming sense of empathy when seeing names like van Gogh, Virginia Woolfe and Phyllis Hyman, an amazing R&B stylist who committed suicide years ago. I remember vividly attending what no one ever imagined would be her last concert, in the prime of her career, only 5 days before she ended her life. I had no idea before that night that she'd endured so much, but the pain in her eyes and her voice was undeniable as she sang her heart out that night.
It would have been easy to become fearful and depressed at first glance. But the more I looked at the list, I was also struck by an entirely different emotion - hope. I was surprised and encouraged to see the names of many people who despite their struggles have found a way to harness the creative aspects of bipolar disorder and craft them into successful and significant careers... Jane Pauley, Alvin Ailey, Sting, Patricia Cornwell and Tracy Ullman to name a few. If they can pursue their dreams in spite of bipolar disorder, then maybe so can I.
No comments:
Post a Comment