The silver lining of being a psycho?

Hey experts, sorry if I sound like a total newbie here. 😳

So, here's what's on my mind... Have any cultures actually viewed people with neurodivergence as being directly touched by God? You know—like treating autism as some kind of "sacred" condition or something?

Also, I'm curious about the upside—take IBM, for example. Since Vincent van Gogh struggled with his mental health, and they've recently suggested Michelangelo might have had mild autism, and even Albert Einstein gets brought up in these talks... it makes you think about that "genius" factor.

Basically, how much of that brilliance is actually tied to their condition? And is there a specific term for those positive traits associated with neurodivergence?

Do you guys get where I'm coming from? 😁 😁

I hear you loud and clear 🤣 🤣 🤣

mistypanther said:I feel you 🤣 🤣 🤣

You too, huh... 😂 😂 😂 😂

So, uh, what I was wondering is... are there any cultures out there that actually saw people with mental illnesses as being, like, directly touched by God? You know, like how some folks used to view autism as a "holy" condition or something like that.

Whoa, hey! I haven't touched anyone!
At least not any of these guys!😁

That guy Mark Clark2 isn't even gay😠

Man, you guys just keep making up stuff about me through history—honestly, I'm surprised I haven't lost my mind already, haha...

walter said:...
I’m also curious about the upside—take MIT, for example. It seems like we’re constantly hearing how Vincent van Gogh struggled with his health, or how Michelangelo might have had mild autism, or even discussions surrounding Albert Einstein and his unique genius...

So, how much of that brilliance is actually tied to their struggles? And what do you call those "positive" traits associated with psychological conditions?

Back in 2004, the American Psychiatric Association published a review in one of its journals (vol. 67, no. 1) that synthesized several scientific studies regarding the link between mental health disorders and creativity.
The takeaway was that while there appears to be a correlation, a clear cause-and-effect relationship remains unproven.

For instance, they cited a post-mortem study (Post, 1994) involving 291 world-renowned scientists, artists, and thinkers. They found depression in 72% of writers and alcoholism in 28% of them.

Mark Clark2 said:Give me a break! I haven't touched anyone!
At least not any of these guys!😁

That guy Mark Clark2 isn't gay.😠

Bill Gates, do you have any idea how many lies you've spun about me throughout history? Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't lost my mind yet...

God, how annoying you are with those pseudo-religious remarks.🙂

There's your average Joe, and then there's the guys who fall way below the curve. These bottom-tier folks? They don't fit into those cookie-cutter societal molds everyone keeps pushing on us, so they end up just losing their minds... totally spiraling out of control. Then you got the others who jump headfirst into some weird new lifestyle trends, thinking they've found the holy grail, only to get sucked into all kinds of crazy shit because they're obsessed with "expanding their horizons" or whatever... something like that.

crazy lady said:man, you seriously get on my nerves with those little God comments of yours🙂

honestly, facts.

Schizophrenia, epilepsy, mania... none of this is even fully understood or clearly defined yet. Sure, there are theories and some clinical evidence out there, but everything feels a bit tentative. If you start reading professional literature as an amateur (which I have 😁), you might start feeling like you could diagnose every single person you meet. You'll end up diagnosing yourself first, and probably several 😬

When you do that, you're just tearing yourself apart. You really shouldn't. And once you start looking, you won't necessarily find actual psychosis, but you'll definitely find someone deviating from the norm. So, I don't think mental illness is inherently linked to creativity or "genius" in the way people usually assume. I guess a person in a totally non-creative job can be just as "crazy"; it's just that for them, that part of their personality rarely comes to the surface.

dustyscout53 said:So, how much of their genius is actually tied to their illness? And what do you even call the "positive" sides of psycho-related disorders?

Look, if they were actually mentally ill,
they would have been running concentration camps and mass murdering people...
but they didn't do that.
👋

Bottom line: they weren't sick in any real sense of the word.

God said:Give me a break! I haven't touched anyone!
At least not any of these guys!😁

That isn't some gay God.😠

Everything needs fixing.
😈

😁 😁

Tyler Grant76 said:When you're creating, you're basically tearing yourself apart—you have to. And once you start, you might not hit some massive mental breakdown, but you'll definitely drift away from what everyone else thinks is "normal." So, I don't really think mental illness is directly tied to creativity or "genius" in a way you can actually spot. Someone in a boring 9-to-5 job can be just as "crazy," it's just that those parts of them don't come to the surface as often.

Man, that's been weighing on me! 👍

Now that we've cleared that up, let's list some "psycho" artists. I've already thrown out two names—your turn. 😁

Tyler Grant76 said:Schizophrenia, epilepsy, mania...

Apples and oranges.

dustyscout53 said:(you know, autism, World Disease, etc.).

Epilepsy.

dustyscout53 said:Now that we've settled that, let's start listing some crazy artists. I've already thrown out two names, so it's your turn. 😁

What about Philip K. Dick?

shadowfalcon33 said:Look, can Philip K. Dick even compete with this?

Pogorelić, Ivo 😁

shadowfalcon33, for heaven's sake, check your private messages 😁

shadowfalcon33 said:Apples and pears.

Fruit 😛

Tyler Grant76 said:Schizophrenia, epilepsy, mania... none of this stuff is strictly defined or even fully understood yet. Sure, there are theories and certain clinical markers, but everything comes with a massive asterisk. If you try to play amateur doctor by digging through medical journals (which I have 😁), you’ll start feeling like you could diagnose every single person you meet. You'll end up diagnosing yourself first, usually spotting several 😬

By trying to find patterns, you just end up tearing yourself apart. It's inevitable. And once you start looking, you don't necessarily stumble upon some profound psychosis, but you'll definitely find some deviation from the norm. So, I don't really buy the idea that mental illness is inherently linked to creativity or "genius" in any way that makes it easy to spot. A guy working a boring desk job at a firm in Chicago is just as "crazy"—it's just that his specific brand of madness rarely becomes the main topic of conversation.

I suspect what you're actually describing are just personality traits—we all possess some version of

"Quote:"

shadowfalcon33 said:So, let me get this straight... are we really doing this? Is it actually possible to bring Philip K. Dick into the mix here?

von Trier?
Just so we’re clear here—I’m not saying this in a negative light.

Yeah, Walter mentioned that guys like Michelangelo and Einstein probably had some mild form of Asperger's. We often see those specific cases referred to as "idiot savants," which is actually what Dustin Hoffman was portraying in the movie "Rain Man." From what I’ve gathered, people who tap into that kind of talent can become absolutely incredible musicians, sculptors, or painters—even though they're frequently visually impaired.
But honestly, how would you even define a "normal person"?
I remember hearing about psychiatrists at some conference once who defined them as nothing more than "painfully boring people."😁