Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

Do you see yours represented?

Yes and no. I'm bipolar and I think that one isn't actually "scary" enough, to be honest. I don't have MDD, but obviously with bipolar I have depression and I think that one was spot on. I run manic, though, and I don't think it quite captured it.


Is art like this an accurate depiction of mental illness?

Yep. We can tell people all we want not be afraid of people with mental illness, but when the demons are in your head, it IS fucking scary. Full stop.

Do you think people with mental illnesses are more prone to creativity? Why or why not? In what ways are you creative other than writing? ?

I don't know if we're more prone to creativity, but I think we view the world differently, which makes the way we're creative sometimes stand out more. People think I pull my 'dark night of the soul' stuff out when I'm depressed. Nope. I don't do jack when I'm depressed. That's all mania, baby. It's ugly and nasty and mean. I'm essentially unrecognizable when I'm off the rails. Even my physical demeanor and expressions change. It's fucked up.

I paint and when I'm balanced, my stuff is a lot of cartoons and happy or contemplative stuff. When I manic, I do a lot of dark stuff and screwed-up abstract things. I can do darker themes when I'm balanced, but I mean, not like this.

Can you think of any (other) pros of your specific mental illness(es)

When I'm hypomanic, I get a lot of shit done, but I hurt myself in the process. RA + mania don't play nice together.

Other than that, no. I am a horrible person when I am unwell, yet I think I'm the life of the party. It's terrifying.