subject: Can Having Bipolar Disease Actually Be An Advantage To You? [print this page] Can Having Bipolar Disease Actually Be An Advantage To You?
Many people with bipolar disorder consider it to be a handicap. But they might be surprised to discover just how many famous people have had the disease and how much influence these people have had on history.
In fact, some experts such as Dr. David Geary, a cognitive development psychologist at the University of Missouri and author of multiple books, even go so far as to state that the condition is more an advantage than a disadvantage. In his book - "The origin of mind: Evolution", he makes the argument that there may even be a link between some form of bipolar disorder and achievement in life.
To support his thesis, he brings up the examples of prime minister Winston Churchill, composer Ludwig van Beethoven, and others who are suspected to have suffered from the condition. Dr. Geary tempers his opinion, however, by making clear that he is referring to mild cases of bipolar disease and not the full blown variety which can essentially make it impossible for a person to interact normally with people in every day situations.
Nevertheless, the theory is interesting. Especially in light of just how many famous people are known or suspected to have the condition. One profession in which people with bipolar tendencies are particularly heavily represented is the entertainment industry. The list includes famous personalities such as Rosemary Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Jim Carey, Kristy McNichols, Margot Kidder, Britney Spears, Carrie Fisher and hundreds of others too many to mention.
And, upon reflection, it is easy to see why manic depressive traits might actually be a benefit in fields such as acting and performing where a large part of your success depends on accessing your emotions and conveying them, convincingly, to an audience.
But, manic-depressive personalities are famous in other fields also. Examples such as astronaut Buzz Aldrin, race car driver Peter Gregg, baseball player Darryl Strawberry, guitarist Jimi Hendrix, publisher Larry Flynt, poet Sylvia Plath, and U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt show the numerous and wildly varying types of professions that bipolar sufferers have had enormous success in.
The secret to these successes seem to be in making your bipolar disorder work for you and not against you. And the best way of achieving this is to find effective ways of coping with the depressive stages of bipolar.
For most people, this means prescribed medication of some sort. For others, it may be a combination of medicines and counseling. But, as the above examples show, once you do find a way of coping, you can often achieve greater success in life than even the most well balanced of your peers.
