The silver lining of being a psycho?

walter said:Now that we've cleared that up, let's list some fake artists. I've already put down two, so your turn. 😁

Straight up?

To most people—those who just stare without actually seeing anything at all—talent is nothing more than a disease

Just because every genius was a little crazy doesn't mean every crazy person is a genius.

Well, I suppose you’ve managed to outdo me this time...😁 To put it plainly: certain individuals—perhaps precisely because they fancy themselves so brilliant—have completely lost their grip on reality. However, let us be perfectly clear: just because you're acting unhinged, dustyscout53, does not mean you've suddenly ascended to the ranks of the geniuses.😂 😂 😂

Actually, I think it’s the other way around. You don't just learn how to be a genius... you're either born with it or you aren't. 😁

I’ve always felt that madness, unlike a state of mere intoxication, actually possesses a much more seamless continuity; it seems to be a far more stable phenomenon and doesn't really require any constant maintenance to stay present.

Thomas Nguyen4 said:to most folks—the ones who just watch instead of actually seeing—talent is basically its own kind of sickness

But for the crazy ones—you know, those who truly see—genius is the actual disease. 😁 😁

I remember this one time I was staying at my grandma’s place, trying to cram for some massive exam. It was maybe five in the morning when she stumbled out of her room, saw me still awake and buried in books, and goes:
"Honey, for the love of God, put those textbooks down before you lose your mind..."
So I look up at her and ask:
"Why, Grandma? You think I'm gonna start thinking like Einstein?"
She just looks at me and says:
"Heck no, more like Marie Curie... and your mother used to tell you all the time, 'Get married, girl! Once you hit thirty, your looks fade and nobody's gonna want you.' Well, look at me now—I'm basically a crazy old lady pacing the house and slamming away at this computer all night long!"

Keith James812, man, that new avatar of yours totally freaked me out...

ironfalcon27 said:Keith James812, that new avatar of yours actually gave me a scare...

Check out Shrek2 instead. That should fix the problem.🙂

jadetinker85 said:Man, just go watch Shrek 2, then you won't be so scared anymore 🙂

So that's the move, huh? 😁 ... alright, maybe I'll give it a shot 🙂

Wow, look at you guys, acting like such deep-thinking philosophers. Honestly, if any of you had actually met someone struggling with a genuine, severe mental illness, you wouldn’t be spouting this nonsense. Most of us here don't have the slightest clue what actual mental illness even looks like—and hey, maybe we're lucky that way. You'll never truly know which famous people or artists were actually suffering, and you definitely won't know how many "regular folks" were dealing with it behind closed doors.

Do you really think someone in the middle of a total psychotic break is sitting there thinking, "Hey, I should probably pick up a paintbrush and create some fine art"?

Just because you vented to a buddy about feeling a little blue, or because you had some "deep epiphany" while riding a Xanax cloud during your monthly cycle... that doesn't mean you know what an actual DISEASE is! You have no idea where it comes from or how it starts. Heck, even psychiatrists aren't all that much smarter on the subject. You go see a shrink because you're stressed about whether you can qualify for a mortgage, he gives you some advice, and suddenly you think you've mastered "mental health treatment"! Or maybe you're hitting your head against a wall, the doctor puts you on 30mg of Prozac, you're drooling and can barely function, and *that's* when you claim to understand "healing"! It's all a joke to you. You go to the clinic, get handed 50mg of Zoloft or 20mg of Lexapro, and honestly, do you really think you're qualified to lecture anyone on the "benefits of mental disorders"? You haven't a clue! If everyone in this thread were a psychiatrist, I'd be writing the exact same thing to you! The fact that you've realized a newborn duckling follows the first thing it sees doesn't mean you're geniuses—it means you have NO CLUE! Lucky for you, those "chemical manipulators"—the pharmacists—gave you your "serotonin revelation"!

I’m in total agreement with you, Steven Collins38.
You don't even have to go far—just a trip to Vrapče or Queens will show you. You don't even need to step foot inside a high-security ward; just walking the perimeter of the hospital grounds tells the story. As for the locked wards... I visited a chronic care unit in Vrapče once. Even the patients there, as lost in their own worlds as they may be, refer to it as "The Pigsty." It was grim. Blank stares, the stench of urine, dormitories without windows—they’ve actually boarded them up with wood, presumably to stop people from jumping. Some of those patients have been stuck there for years because their families simply stopped showing up.
That was about six years ago, and I highly doubt anything has improved since then.

On a personal note, I know people living with a diagnosis, too. There are moments where you truly don't know what to do. You feel completely helpless when you realize someone close to you has "departed," leaving you to wonder if they’ll ever truly come back. The connection isn't there anymore; it's drifted somewhere far out of reach. And you're left standing there, realizing there isn't a single thing you can do to fix it.

Gerald Rivera60:

Out of 291 world-renowned scientists, artists, and thinkers—depression was found in 72% of writers, while alcoholism hit 28%.

I think that’s just a mirror reflecting society.

Slayer:

If you start reading academic papers (which I have), you'll feel like you can diagnose every single person you meet. Start with yourself, and you'll rack up several diagnoses pretty fast.

On one hand, I agree with the group that these aren't just statistics; severe mental illness is brutal stuff.

On the other hand, everyone ignores the minor neuroses that actually mess up your life. We don't focus enough on prevention. Then, when a major illness hits—something that might have been avoided if we’d stepped in earlier at any level, especially socially—everyone acts shocked and claims there's nothing left to be done.

As for the link between illness and genius, you can draw a few parallels.

For instance, scientists are often highly antisocial people who compensate by withdrawing even further into themselves. Unfortunately, that's actually a socially accepted pattern. That kind of approach frequently leads straight into illness. It's a common, stupid cycle.

Another angle is that some artists might perceive deeper dimensions of themselves. Their personalities might be wired differently, making them aware of things others aren't, which leads to interesting, raw, and essentially "true" works of art. It's similar to how certain subcultures experiment with drugs to reach an altered, "unconventional" state.

I suspect that in a certain percentage of cases, there is a deliberate exaggeration at play—essentially a "sour grapes" mentality where people pivot to highlighting negative traits whenever someone actually achieves something significant. It feels like a way to deflect from their own lack of progress. While this might be largely irrelevant when dealing with an adult who has already established their character, I worry it could genuinely harm children. If a kid shows early talent or abilities that don't strictly align with what society expects, they risk being sidelined by this kind of scrutiny before they even get a chance to grow.