Sucks that you've had to go through anxiety and depression, you can join our little club. I think people can consider suicide without being depressed or terminally/chronically ill. During the Great Depression (no pun intended) in the 1930s, it wasn't unheard of for wealthy people to commit suicide. They weren't depressed or ill, they just couldn't imagine living a different life than they were accustomed; obviously this is generalised, there are always exceptions. Anyway, that's probably stress related. For sure! Art in general is not only a way to invoke a response in the viewer, but also a means to let go of some emotion the artist may be feeling. Take a look at all the things you've written, or plan to write, and search for common themes. Every story I've written or plan to write, is apocalyptic by nature - either humanity is basically destroyed by the end, or most of the main characters die. I wrote a story for NaNoWriMo last year where literally (literally, literally) every named character is dead at the end, and all by logical reasons, none of them died for shock value. I consider that apocalyptic, but on a smaller scale. If I was to take a guess at what the reflects of my personality, I'd imagine it has to do with my fascination with death, and the fact that even though I'm regularly suicidal, I'm scared to death of dying, but at the same time want to be dead. The only way I can understand what being dead is like, is to write about how its effect on those who knew the person. Nobody I know has ever died, so I have no clue how I'm going to react when that day comes - which will probably be soon.
Hopefully not. And the weird thing is, you will react one way for one person, but a different way for another. It affects everyone differently. I mean there are 6 of us siblings in this weirdly well blended group I like to call my family, and my step-father passed away earlier this year - we've all dealt with it in a different way. I think that the mood or mental state we are in, even if not acutely at the time, can affect the way in which we write - given the nature of my current WIP, I can't say that the subject matter (kidnapping etc) has ever happened to me, but the emotions of the MC (the survivor, not the perp) are very easy for me to kind of 'drop' into, and thankfully pull out of as well - I have found if I'm in a good space I can do this easier, but occasionally I can't write for shit and delete it, or can't think where to start. I've re-read some of the poetry I wrote as a teenager - and whilst I'm a bit more 'growed up' than I was then, I can't drop into that headspace so easily any more, and my attempts at poetry are dreadful - I must be feeling better then! haha On another note - those wealthy people off'ing themselves because they couldn't see themselves in life different to the one they were accustomed to - hmmmmm....you'd need to REALLY hate the life you were going to have to get used to, I'd think!
Just saw this video on Yahoo and thought it was pretty good and wanted to share. https://www.yahoo.com/health/this-man-jumped-off-the-golden-gate-bridge-and-120051449.html
Yeah, but it wasn't like they had a mental illness, which is what chronic depression is. They offed themselves because the idea of living without whatever luxury rich people enjoyed back in the day -- basically living like everyone else back then made them lose the will to live. Personally, I would've just gritted my teeth and learned to live without all the flashy stuff of my old life.
Living without the need for material possession is something I achieved years ago. I'm pretty thankful for it. Of course I still enjoy buying new things, but not having new things doesn't send me into some sort of withdrawal. I've got a friend who compulsively buys stuff - to the point where he offers to pay for anyone at supper or the movies or whatnot. My therapist once told me that some people practice consumerism because it gives them a sense of control, which makes complete sense that the wealthy would have killed themselves after losing their wealth - no money, no control. Living with what you have, not with what you want, is the best control you can achieve, in my opinion.
I have schizoaffective disorder - a type of manic depression, the unholy hellspawn of paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar I. Past (mis)diagnoses have included major depressive disorder w/psychotic features, disorganised/hebephrenic schizophrenia, and bipolar I. I am a recovering anorectic. I also have Asperger's syndrome and epilepsy. Possibly the epilepsy has damaged my work to the greatest extent. Before I began to have regular seizures, I wrote fluently and with ease. These days, with the neurological damage it's racked up, I can sometimes barely string a sentence together. Back to the mental illness, though. I cope with the schizoaffective through medication. I'm waiting to be on the waiting list (what a lot of waiting) for talk therapy. There's also writing, music, and art, of course! I find that lately especially music (I am slightly synaesthetic, but only when I play a note/chord/song myself, for some reason) and writing have been helping me surely. Incidentally, between attempts at improving this bloody poem, I'm reading "Touched with Fire" by Kay Redfield Jamison. It discusses and discourses upon the idea that manic-depressive illness can stimulate creativity. I've just started the part that discusses doubting the link.
Alstroemeria - welcome! Sorry you've experienced mental illness, and that the epilepsy has caused neurological damage. I have family members with Bipolar - I may have to go read that book - and want to read that poem of yours!
Thanks for the welcome. When it comes to manic depression books, I'd recommend you read "An Unquiet Mind" - same author - first. As for the poem, I'll PM it to you.
Thanks! I have PM'd you back. I'll have to look for that book too (work at a large teaching hospital, with a decent library of medical and non-medical books - may even be there!).
