Jesse Jackson Jr is the latest famous person who has been publicly diagnosed as bipolar and depression. Before that it was Charlie Sheen who wasn't diagnosed in public but many people came to that conclusion. It reminds me of all the famous people in the past who have been thought to have bipolar disorder. What makes them a star when they have such mental issues?
Vincent Van Gogh (an artist), Kurt Cobain (a musician), Robert Downey Jr (an actor), Mel Gibson (actor/Director), Jack Irons (drummer for Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam), Debra LaFave (school teacher that had an affair with her student), Frank Sinatra (singer), Amy Winehouse (musician), and many more.
I see the full list of actors and musicians who were and are bipolar and can't help but see a coalition between creativity and mental health issues like bipolar. Not saying that every one who is creative has a mental health issue or that every one with those issues are creative. I just can't help to notice that maybe the benefit of bipolar is creativity, looking at the world differently than others,
Being famous doesn't make you immune. It may make problems you have worse because of pressure and acceptance of poor judgment. Because they are famous, seeing how they deal with it can help or hinder us. Patty Duke was a famous actor back in the day, she has stepped in front of her illness and has been an advocate like many others.
Bipolar may have helped people be more creative and swings may have given them an edge. What is more powerful than their art is to admit and deal with mental issues in public, even though that's the hardest environment to do it in. Famous people have a responsibility to set a good example more than the rest of us because they have put themselves in a place where people see and listen to them more than others.
