A Life Changed

The following is information that I found on the internet by accident.  The history and pictures bring back memories, as they do for many, the ones who found refuge from an unforgiving world; and the ones who’s stay was a new beginning.  I started on a new journey in life and was forced to grow up in a place that was unlike any that I had ever seen. The memories that the “patients” have may have died with them or live on through the generations who were left behind.

Life in these buildings will never be erased from my mind.  But I am one of the fortunate who can   understand and find empathy for the lost minds that were housed there.  So I am given the chance to try to relieve my anguish and move on with the hope that it will give me a release from the pain that I feel today.  My life has changed in many ways but I will never forget my stay at these hospitals or the memories of the people who found themselves in these buildings.  I invite to the world that you may or may not know.  If you are one of  the fortunate people who have never seen the inside of the life in any of these places I am sure you  will have a learning\experience and to others it can be a past that is put to rest finally. From wena

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  Pilgrim State Hospital - Abandoned Photography at Opacity

www.opacity.us/site23_pilgrim_state_hospital.htm

Photographs, history, news and information about Pilgrim State Hospital (also known as: Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, PSH), located in Brentwood, NY (United ...

Pilgrim State Hospital

In the 1920s, New York State had operated six mental hospitals to facilitate the growing need for psychiatric care, and all were extremely overcrowded. The state's answer was to build the solution to this problem that plagued the New York City area once and for all - Pilgrim State Hospital.

Originally designed to house 12,500 patients on 1,900 acres of land, Pilgrim still holds the record of being the largest psychiatric hospital in the world - its peak patient population at one time was 16,000. The original hospital constructed from 1930-1941 consisted of four large continued treatment groups, each having about six separate buildings. The hospital also included a large medical building where patients and employees with acute diseases would be diagnosed, as well as housing laboratories, consultation rooms, a nursing school, and the pathology department. This building was flanked by two large reception buildings, where new patients would stay for an average of one month to be examined and diagnosed. These two buildings were kept separate by gender, and connecting corridors on each floor allowed patients and staff to work closely and quickly between the common medical facility.

Also on campus was a tall hospital building for chronic patients, a theater, employee and nurses' homes, a bakery, laundry, firehouse, power plant, and a farm which included a horse barn and  piggery. Doctors and their families lived a small community on campus, but separated from the hospital by a major road (and later the Sagitkos Parkway). A ten acre cemetery lies behind a brick water tower, where unclaimed bodies were buried with a simple headstone engraved with a patient number. In the late 1930s Pilgrim averaged one death per day.

Pilgrim Campus Map in 1938 (LIFE Magazine)

In the early 1940s the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) began constructing another large hospital on the grounds adjacent to Pilgrim, which was later completed and leased by the U.S. Army. This new facility, called Mason General Hospital, was dedicated in 1944 and served as a POW camp, tuberculosis hospital, and a psychiatric center for war veterans. The campus consisted of a massive thirteen story structure with French château roof, three eight story X-shaped buildings, theater, gym, church, power plant, residences, and a multitude of temporary military structures. It only operated under the U.S. Army until 1946, when it was given back to the state and renamed Edgewood State Hospital. Mason General's X-shaped buildings 81, 82 and 83 were given to Pilgrim, and due to patient decline they were renovated to be used as a state prison in the 1980s. Due to much local opposition, they were modernized and put back to psychiatric use in the 1990s. The annex of these buildings raised Pilgrim's capacity to a total of 15,000. Edgewood closed in 1969-1971, and was demolished in 1989-1990. To read more about Edgewood, visit edgewoodhospital.com, which has a plethora of photos, video, and information about the site.

In 1945, academy award winning director John Huston created a documentary called Let There be Light for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Filmed at Mason General Hospital, the 58 minute piece was one of the first chronicles of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but was not publicly released until thirty-five years after it was produced. Let There be Light can be viewed online, where the viewer is taken inside the wards of Mason General and shown the process of recovery.

Treatments at Pilgrim included many types of shock therapy; methods that were risky, but the only kind of relief that science could offer at the time before Chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was developed in the 1950s. They include:

• Insulin shock therapy: The patient is injected with large doses of insulin, which causes convulsion and coma. Introduced at Pilgrim in 1936.
• Metrazol shock therapy: Injections of Metrazol (or commercially known as cardiazol) quickly induces powerful seizures.
• Electric shock therapy: Currents of electricity are passed through the brain to induce grand mal seizures, commonly used to treat schizophrenia and mood disorders. Pilgrim State started using this technique in 1940, and has recently been under investigation for forcing this treatment onto patients.

Pre-frontal lobotomies were performed at Pilgrim starting in 1946, and by 1959 as many as 1,000 to 2,000 lobotomies were performed here; most procedures were done in the central medical building #23. A report on lobotomies was filmed at Pilgrim in 1992, hosted by Tom Jarriel of 20/20. It contains information on the history of the procedure, personal case studies of Pilgrim patients, as well as footage from some of the now-abandoned buildings on the Pilgrim campus. Both parts I and II can be viewed below.

After the two other major psychiatric facilities on Long Island closed down - Kings Park Psychiatric Center and Central Islip Psychiatric Center - many of their patients and programs moved to Pilgrim, but the facility was still too large for the ever dwindling need for psychiatric care. The four treatment groups at Pilgrim were shut down, and eventually the fifty buildings were demolished in early 2003 after being sold to a developer. The future of the old medical building, administration, and admission buildings are unclear, but have been abated and seem to be ready for demolition. Pilgrim still remains as a psychiatric facility to this day, currently occupying most of the buildings extant on campus. In 2011, most of the staff and doctor's private homes were demolished.

Sources of information include The Farm Colonies, a fascinating book with over 250 illustrations of the four Long Island state mental hospitals, by Leo Polaski (2003).

Kings Park Psychiatric Center Location Data To relieve New York City's growing mentally ill population, Kings County (now Brooklyn) set forth to build an institution where patients could be treated far away from the hectic city life. The Kings Park Lunatic Asylum was established in 1885 as an extension of the Brooklyn County Hospital complex located on Clarkson Ave. The location for the new asylum would be far away in rural Suffolk County, and it initially consisted of a few wooden buildings where residents could be rehabilitated. As need for mentally ill facilities grew, the county "Lunatic Farm" (as it was called) was handed over to New York State in 1895 where it became Long Island State Hospital. Hearkening to its roots in  Hearkening to its roots in Brooklyn, the institution was re-named Kings Park State Hospital in 1916 - and as the hospital grew in this once desolate woodland, it essentially created the town of Kings Park that we know today. The entire hospital became a self-sufficient community; the patients and staff performed a wide variety of tasks including farming, construction, clothes-making, and food preparation. KPSH expanded to over 150 buildings, which included a power plant and a railroad spur to transport passengers, coal, and construction materials from the Long Island Rail Road. The campus included an area for TB patients, as well as a large section devoted to caring for war veterans. At the turn of the century, the hospital had already grown to 2,697 patients and 454 staff workers - making the hospital campus larger than the nearby town of Smithtown at the time! The hospital reached its peak population at 9,303 patients in 1954, and became quite overcrowded like so many other state run mental health centers at the time. The cost to run such an enormous machine became too large of a burden for the state, and with the overall de-institutionalization policy being instated on the East Coast, the hospital began closing buildings in a slow but steady process in 1970. In 1975, the institution became known as the more familiar Kings Park Psychiatric Center, or "KPPC." Many patients were transferred to nearby Pilgrim State Hospital, nursing homes, private group homes, or were released. Finally, the entire facility closed in 1996 save for two buildings which still house patients to this day. The big question has always been what to do with the land... hundreds of acres of property were up for grabs, but at a very expensive cleanup cost. In the year 2000, the grounds of the war veterans treatment area opened as the Nissequogue River State Park. But to develop the rest of the land, many buildings would have to be demolished or renovated, and the miles of asbestos piping would need to be carefully removed. In November 2010, the estimated cost of demolishing 57 buildings was $215 million. The only feasible way of making money from the cleanup would be to build a dense residential or commercial community, which has been a highly objectionable debate for many years. Kings Park Psychiatric Center was one of four enormous mental health systems located in central Long Island; the others being Central Islip Psychiatric Center, Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, and Mason General / Edgewood State Hospital. Below is a documentary by Jim Fleming, filmed just before the full closure of the hospital that offers people's memories and views on the closing of Kings Park. Thanks to Steve Weber for posting it for all to watch. Central Islip State Hospital Location Data While psychiatric patients from Brooklyn were being moved to the Kings County Farm Colony (later known as Kings Park State Hospital) on Long Island, the borough of Manhattan sought a similar solution to alleviate the overcrowding in their mental hospitals. In 1887 the city purchased 1,000 acres of pine barrens in Central Islip, Long Island. Forty-nine male patients were admitted in 1889, and followed by forty female patients, all working under a treatment described as "O&O" and "R&R" (Occupation and Oxygen, and Rest and Relaxation). Much like the farm at Kings Park, the colony was eventually purchased by the state of New York and becoming the Manhattan State Hospital, where it then grew into a vast complex housing thousands of patients in over 100 buildings. Two notable structures were built here; one being several ward groups connected by corridors that stretched approximately one mile long. The elegant architecture and length of the building led to its name as the "String of Pearls." The other complex with a unique layout was called the "Sunburst," which resembled a spoked wheel - the spokes were treatment wards connected to a central hub, with a curved, circular corridor connecting them all. A fire department with 10 employees was created in 1907, and a large medical building and a secure unit were constructed in the middle of the century. Aerial photo of the Sunburst building (Photography by Pictometry) The hospital had its own locomotive, baggage car and wooden coach carthat was equipped with barred windows, until patients were brought in by van during the great depression. The hospital was very self-efficient, as daily tasks regarding clothes, food, laundry, craftsmanship and labor were all performed by the patients and employees. In the earlier days of the hospital, the staff lived on the grounds and were not permitted to leave the hospital campus, even during off hours, except for a few days a month. The hospital, later renamed to Central Islip State Hospital and finally known as Central Islip Psychiatric Center, began to become severely overcrowded through the 1950s. It reached its peak population of about 10,000 patients in 1955. Lobotomies, various types of shock treatments, and finally drug therapy replaced the long-gone treatments from the 19th century. The population dwindled in the 1970s and 1980s as de-institutionalization took hold, until it finally closed in 1996. The beautiful String of Pearls was demolished for the shopping mall that now stands in its place, the large 1953 power plant was imploded for condominiums in 2006, and the large secure treatment building called Corcoran was demolished in 2008. A few buildings have survived, as some of the campus was sold to the New York Institute of Technology and the structures have found a new use by the college. Central Islip Psychiatric Center was one of four enormous mental health systems located in central Long Island; the others being Kings Park Psychiatric Center, Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, and Mason General / Edgewood State Hospital.  EdgewoodHospital.com -

Most of those who have experienced Edgewood State Hospital agree it was the most intriguing and impressive of the Long Island mental asylums. Some of the buildings belonging to the other large Long Island mental hospitals - Kings Park, and Pilgrim State - are still standing, but their future is unclear. Since Edgewood State Hospital was demolished in 1989, many urban explorers might have never seen it, or heard of it - and many are just discovering it. Edgewood Hospital stood on Commack Road, in Deer Park. It's construction was completed by the US Army during World War 2. The Army used the complex during the war, naming it Mason General Hospital. After the war, the Army gave the Hospital back to the State, where it existed as part of Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center. Edgewood Hospital was vandalized mercilessly in the 70's and 80's, until it was finally demolished in 1989. We hope to be successful in bringing together a community of both knowledgeable and curious people, who are interested in learning and preserving Edgewood's history. This is an interactive site, where members are encouraged to share their pictures, comments, and memories. The site is expected to be a work in progress, as further research and visitor contribution help put the pieces of the puzzle together. All visitors have access to view the site, but if you want to add to it by uploading pictures or posting comments, you must be a registered member.

Suicide and Mental Illness

Bipolar Affective Disorder or Manic Depression is a disorder in which there are extreme fluctuations in mood: periods of depression alternating with periods of elation and excitement known as highs or mania. Persons with bipolar disorder are at a higher risk for suicide, 

However, medication can lessen the symptoms in about approximately 80 percent in most cases, reducing the risk of suicide.

Many of the chronically ill with mental illnesses require long term care; the rest make a partial recovery. Research shows that suicide risk is raised for all mental illnesses and those who are substance abuses.  Suicidal thoughts and behavior, past and present, increase the risk significantly.

People with severe mental health problems are less likely to be employed or married and the illness itself may cause a situation of social isolation.  By themselves they increase the risk of suicide. 

Studies on people with mental disorder who have received psychiatric care as an in patient, involuntary commitment or long term hospitalization; reveals that the risk of suicide is higher for those who were admitted involuntarily.  The recently discharged and recently admitted are at especially high risk. 

People with mental health problems may remain at high risk of suicide even after they appear to be well. 

Studies show that bipolar disorder or manic depressions have an average suicide risk on the average of 15-25 times that of the general population.  The risk of suicide is increased by a past suicide attempt and alcohol abuse.  

Research involving people diagnosed with major depression shows that they have an increased risk of suicide.  The risk is highest in the first few weeks following discharge from hospital. Less severe forms of depression show a reduction of suicide risk. Older depressed people may be at higher risk of suicide. 

Anxiety states also show higher suicide risk.  Studies which have examined anxiety, agoraphobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder shows that anxiety states in general have a 10-percent increased risk of suicide. 

Studies on personality disorders showed that people who had received psychiatric inpatient treatment and had a severe problem were seven times more likely to be at risk of suicide more than the general public. 

Personality disorders have also been found to be common in people who have been seen at hospital for self harm. 

There have been little studies on the connection of mental disorder and suicide although researchers are continually trying to prove that the link between the two does exist.  Further study has to be done to reduce the statistics.  Fortunately the drugs of choice are very effective in reducing the risk of death by suicide and the majority of the mentally ill can be saved from this tragedy. For those who do not respond to these medications there is no real answer to the problem but in time there will be headway into the connection between suicide and mental illness.

Bipolar Disorder and Drug Abuse

Bipolar and drug abuse often occur together. Drugs or alcohol abuse or dependency may occur at some stage in about most of bipolar individuals and seems to be more often with adolescent onset bipolar disorder. Substance abuse with alcohol, marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates is known to occur.

It is not known whether the drug abuse is the result of having bipolar disorder or if the symptoms similar to those of bipolar result from the drug abuse. Cocaine use is similar to mania. When substance abuse co exists with bipolar it complicates the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. Chronic marijuana use especially in teens increases the risk of bipolar psychotic episode.

There seems to be a connection between a family predisposition to mania and drug abuse and where this exists the drug abuse may develop into bipolar I disorder.

Some psychiatrists believe that the drug abuse might be a way of self-medicating the uncontrollable mood swings of bipolar disorder. Where treatment is not sought either through ignorance or denial, there is a reason for the symptoms do not show. The drug abuse is supposed to relieve the symptoms or stabilize the moods the use of substances worsen the situation like cocaine during manic episodes and alcohol during periods of depression. 

The behavior patterns and symptoms of bi polar disorder like excessive involvement in pleasurable activities, poor judgment etc make them more inclined to drug abuse.

Studies have also shown links between bipolar substance abuse and crime. Men seem to offend and get arrested more often than women. However the link to criminal activity may be part of the symptoms of mania and the problem that bipolars have with money.

There is no doubt that the symptoms of mania are like those of a substance abusers highs and lows. Perhaps this is a reason for the parallel and connection of the two.   While there are many questions about this subject more research needs to be done to find the 

Bipolar Mania Symptoms

Mania is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood or overall state of being, and energy levels. In some ways, it is the opposite of depression.

In addition to mood disorders, persons may exhibit manic behavior because of drug intoxication, medication side effects. But mania is most often associated with bipolar disorder, where episodes of mania alternate with episodes of major depression.

Mania varies in intensity, from mild mania, hypomania to full-blown mania with psychotic features, including hallucinations, delusion of grandeur, suspiciousness, catatonic behavior, aggression.  Because mania and hypomania have also been associated with creativity and artistic talent, it is not always the case that the clearly manic bipolar person needs or wants medical help.

To be classified as a manic episode, while the disturbed mood is present; irritability is present. Expanded self-esteem; reduced need of sleep; talks more often and feels the urge to talk longer;  thoughts race and preoccupy the person; over indulgence in enjoyable behaviors with high risk of a negative outcome, extravagant shopping, sexual adventures.

If the person is concurrently depressed, they are said to be having a mixed episode.

Some people also have physical symptoms, such as sweating, pacing, and weight loss. In full-blown mania, often the manic person will feel as, that there are no consequences or that negative consequences would be minimal, and that they need not restrain the pursuit of what they are after. Hypomania is different, as it may cause little or no impairment in function. The hypomanic person's connection with the external world, and interaction, remain intact, although intensity of moods is heightened. But those who suffer from prolonged unresolved hypomania do run the risk of developing full mania without realizing it.

One of the most prominent symptoms of mania is racing thoughts. These are usually instances in which the manic person is excessively distracted by unimportant stimuli. This experience creates absentmindedness where the manic person’s thoughts totally preoccupy them, making them unable to keep track of time, or be aware of anything besides the flow of thoughts. Racing thoughts also interfere with the ability to fall asleep.

 These behaviors may increase stress in personal relationships, lead to problems at work and increase the risk of altercations with law enforcement. There is a high risk of impulsively taking part in activities potentially harmful to self and others.

Although severely elevated mood  sounds somewhat desirable and enjoyable, the experience of mania is often quite unpleasant and sometimes disturbing, if not frightening, for the person and for those close to them, and it may lead to impulsive behavior that may later be regretted. It can also often be complicated by the lack of judgment and insight regarding periods of the states. Manic patients are frequently grandiose, obsessive, impulsive, irritable, belligerent, and usually refuse that there is something is wrong with them. Because mania frequently includes high energy and decreased need or ability to sleep, within a few days of a manic cycle, sleep-deprived psychosis may appear, further complicating the ability to think clearly.

There are different or states of mania. A minor state is hypomania and, like mania's characteristics, may involve increased creativity, wit, gregariousness, and ambition. Full-blown mania will make a person feel elated, but perhaps also irritable, frustrated, and even disconnected from reality.

Acute mania in bipolar disorder is treated with mood stabilizers or antipsychotic medication or a combination of both. It may be necessary to be temporarily committed until the parson is stabilized. Antipsychotics and mood stabilizers help stabilize mood of those with mania or depression.

When the manic behaviors are gone, long term treatment to stabilize the mood, through a combination of medicine and psychotherapy may prove beneficial.

Bipolar Mixed Episodes

With Bipolar disorder, a mental illness, a mixed stat or a mixed episode is a condition during which symptoms of mania and depression occur simultaneously.  Some of the symptoms that are shown are agitation, anxiety, fatigue, guilt, impulsiveness, irritability, suicidal thoughts; there may be paranoia, pressured speech and rage. Other symptoms that may be seen are crying during a manic episode and racing thoughts during a depressive episode. One may also feel rage and at the same time have a flight of ideas. Mixed states are often the most dangerous period of mood disorders, during which makes a person more vulnerable to substance abuse, panic disorder, violence and can include suicide attempts.

Mixed episodes consist of a manic episode with depressive symptoms. Increased energy and some form of anger, from irritability to full blown rage, are the most common symptoms... Symptoms may also include auditory hallucinations, confusion, insomnia, persecutory delusions, racing thoughts, restlessness, and suicidal ideation. Alcohol, drug abuse, and some antidepressants can trigger a mixed state in certain individuals.

Treatment of mixed states is the use of mood stabilizers, which may include anticonvulsants or antipsychotics. Mood stabilizers work to reduce the manic symptoms that have the symptoms of depression that are in the mixed episode.

Treatment of a mixed episode is complicated by the presence of the depressive symptoms which do not respond to all medications.  Because the medication can trigger a manic episode there is speculation about whether or not antidepressants should be used to treat mixed episodes.

The prognosis is good when medication is combined and is more effective in controlling the manic symptoms which drives the cycle. Medication may also be combined with psychotherapy once the person is stabilized on medication. 

Depression and Physical Illnesses

Mood changes and depressive disorders are more common in people who are struggling with physical illnesses, than in people who are well.

Although a person can develop depression with almost any physical illness, some lead to depression more often than others.

Depression in these conditions can be expected to respond to the same treatments medication and psychotherapy as most other depressive illness.

Some physical illnesses, especially heart disease and other sicknesses that affect the blood supply, occur can cause depression and the depression is often be the underlying cause of such diseases.

It is not that physical illnesses can lead to depression the mental disorder can often be the cause of a medical condition. This makes the recognition and treatment of depression all the more urgent.

Physical illnesses in which depression is common: diseases of the nervous system; dementia people with dementia suffer from more depressive illnesses than with other people. The difficulty these people have in communicating their disturbing symptoms so that the depression can be missed and not treated. Multiple sclerosis Depression seems to be more common in this condition, too. Heart disease; depression is more common in people with heart disease. It is two to three times more common in people after a heart attack. Depression in such cases also leads to problems for people recovering from a heart attack, making them more at risk of another heart attack.  Depression with strokes is much more common in people after a stroke; high blood pressure studies have shown this also leads to increased rates of depression. Hypothyroidism; low levels of thyroid hormones can lead to depression, which may be severe viral infections, are prone to trigger depression in individuals

It is important to be aware of the possibility of depression, especially when a person is suffering from one of illnesses mentioned. The difficulty is that some of the symptoms in depression are found in these conditions, disrupted sleep patterns, poor appetite and tiredness.

This makes these symptoms less helpful for doctors when making the diagnosis of depression.

Furthermore, sadness is common following diagnosis of an illness because the sufferer comes to terms with their condition, but a prolonged 'low' mood with frequent weeping is likely to indicate depression has developed.

The cause or causes of depression in people with no physical illness are often not clear; it is also true of those who also have a physical illness.

There's good evidence that some of the above illnesses directly affect the parts of the brain and the chemical systems that control our mood and behavior.

Suddenly losing function in a limb after a stroke, or struggling to walk, after a heart attack, can lead to a number of consequences being unable to return to work, having to give up enjoyable activities. Such changes may trigger a depressive illness.

Losses affect a person’s self-esteem and their roles as a care taker and work may be changed. These factors may all contribute to the development of depression.

Is There a Connection between Bipolar Disorder and Creativity

People with Bipolar disorder experience episodes of mania, an exceptionally elevated, irritable, or energetic mood and depression. These episodes may be separate or depressed and manic symptoms may occur at the same time. The frequency of episodes varies. At least four depressive manic, hypomanic, or mixed episodes within a year of a rapidly changing mood which is known as rapid cycling bipolar disorder. During the early stages of a manic episode, people can be very happy, productive and creative. They have less need for sleep and don’t feel tired. There is some evidence that many well known creative people were bipolar.  Patients say that they get to the point where they can’t function and sometimes need to be hospitalized, especially if they don’t take their medication as prescribed. In a manic episode, the person can feel like making lots of plans because the world seems full of opportunity. They may feel high, meet a lot of new friends, spend all their money, and even feel invincible. Medication can appear dull the creativity, and may be seen as a negative feeling at this point. There something about the manic or in between episodes of bipolar disorder that can be leads to creative expression in some people. Studies in both medical and psychology have shown some evidence for a link, but the  focus  is on well known figures or small groups of patients. It is established that people with affective disorders tend to be represented in the creative artist community especially those with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder may carry certain rewards for creativity, especially in those who have milder symptoms. The diagnosis of bipolar disorder has been linked to gifted talents of mood disorders and it is likely that the condition has a genetic basis.  Individuals with bipolar disorder often report that they are at their most creative and productive when having a manic episode.  A study attempted to link the relationship between Virginia Woolf’s creativity and her mental illness, which was probably bipolar disorder 1941. Is there a connection with creativity and mood disorders? Researchers have proposed several reasons that could account for the link between mood disorders and creativity. They believe that mania causes imaginative activity because the energy of manic depression drives the victims to look for outlets which often become creative expression. Also they have put forward the view that the continuous energy of the hippomanic state leads to the phenomenal and original output. Researchers also point out that creativity and bipolar symptoms could be genetic. Studies are constantly increasing to investigate this link.   Evidence shows many creative people as having mood disorders. Some of the most famous were: Abraham Lincoln who suffered from severe depression and suicidal thoughts. Ernest Hemingway experienced depression before committing suicide. Sylvia Plath had an enduring battle with depression. She also committed suicide. Vincent Van Gogh was well known for his quick tempered character and depression. He was hospitalized in an asylum before he committed suicide. Ludwig Van Beethoven was recorded as being mentally ill with manic depression. John Keats was grappled with depression and mental illness. Winston Churchill was recorded as having manic depression and he was known for his speeches which were inspirational during the war. What causes the creative differences in bipolar people has yet to be proven; however, evidence shows that there is a connection between bipolar disorder and creativity it is shown throughout history.

Mental Health vs Physical Health

Physical health is increasingly becoming a problem for the severely mentally ill. In a study of patients with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, a large percentage were found to be overweight or obese, and a large number suffered from diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and raised cholesterol.

Inactivity, poor diet, and excessive smoking were seen to be contributing factors among patients in state hospitals. Obesity was prevalent; patients were suffering from high blood pressure. And a significant number had abnormally high cholesterol levels A high proportion were being prescribed atypical antipsychotic drugs associated with weight gain.

Life expectancy for people with severe mental illness such as schizophrenia is reduced by up to 25 years. The major cause of death is not suicide, but cardiovascular disease.

People with serious mental illness are have a greater risk of dying  at an earlier age, than are people without serious mental illness.  Researchers are studying which causes of death are most prevalent for people with mental illnesses, and how this information might be used to increase life expectancy and treatment of patients.

Research is being done on the physical health of the general population as compared to the population that is dealing with mental health issues.

Heart disease was the number one causes of death, but people with mental illness were also more likely to die from liver disease, cancer, as well as unnatural causes such as accidents, assault and suicide.  These health statistics provide insight as to what is most needed in treating the majority of patients; researchers hope it will help to  provide programs that combine mental health therapy and physical health.