Having bipolar disorder is linked to a higher risk of suicide and a higher mortality rate overall, according to research.
The condition draws the most attention when tied, in headlines, to celebrities experiencing ‘bipolar’ life crises—such as Kanye West’s 2023 social media meltdown, or British actor Stephen Fry going AWOL from a West-End play in the mid-90s.
Despite the disturbance it’s brought to his life, Mr. Fry says that he, like many people he knows with bipolar, would not be without it. “I do get a huge buzz out of the manic side,” he says.
Is the talent and drive of so many bipolar performers linked to their disorder? How could bipolar disorder influence such traits?
Neuroscientist and biochemical researcher Dr. Dayan Goodenowe says the same factors that put bipolar sufferers at higher mortality risk can also lead to their being more driven and capable in some aspects. But there is a drawback, he says.
“Think of it as a car that’s running at high RPMs all the time … Their brains are firing, they are connecting the dots. The problem is that it’s unsustainable for long periods of time.”
Could the body’s own defense system be the source of bipolar disorder? Can lives that have been upended by the condition find equilibrium?