''Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament'' is a book by the American
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how ...
Kay Redfield Jamison
Kay Redfield Jamison (born June 22, 1946) is an American clinical psychologist and writer. Her work has centered on bipolar disorder, which she has had since her early adulthood. She holds the post of the Dalio Professor in Mood Disorders and Ps ...
examining the relationship between
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
and artistic
creativity
Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...
. It contains extensive case studies of historic writers, artists, and composers assessed as probably having had
cyclothymia
Cyclothymia ( ), also known as cyclothymic disorder, psychothemia/psychothymia, bipolar III, affective personality disorder and cyclothymic personality disorder, is a mental and behavioural disorder that involves numerous periods of symptoms of ...
,
major depressive disorder
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...
, or manic-depressive/
bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...
.
Reception
The book has widely been very favourably received. It has been the basis for scholarship on the topic of the
relationship
Relationship most often refers to:
* Family relations and relatives: consanguinity
* Interpersonal relationship, a strong, deep, or close association or acquaintance between two or more people
* Correlation and dependence, relationships in mathem ...
between bipolar disorder and 'artistic temperament'.
Cultural references
The
film of the same name, directed and written by
Paul Dalio
Paul Dalio (born December 8, 1979) is an American screenwriter, director and composer. His first film, ''Touched with Fire'', inspired by his struggles overcoming bipolar disorder, premiered at SXSW in March 2015 and was released theatrically in ...
(who is bipolar), 'draws from' the book and the book is a significant feature in its plot.
'Touched With Fire,' inspired by work of Johns Hopkins psychologist, explores life with bipolar disorder
Dec 16, 2015, ''hub.jhu.edu'', accessed 28 May 2021
See also
*Creativity and bipolar disorder
Links between creativity and mental health have been extensively discussed and studied by psychologists and other researchers for centuries. Parallels can be drawn to connect creativity to major mental disorders including bipolar disorder, schiz ...
Notes
References
*Jamison, Kay Redfield (1993): ''Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament,'' New York, The Free Press.
Books about creativity
Creativity and mental illness
Books about bipolar disorder
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