This poem by Kelly Cherry was written about her father, who was a professional musician that succumbed to Alzheimer’s Disease. The poem guides the reader…
The song ‘Brain Damage’ was partially inspired by Pink Floyd band member, Syd Barrett, who endured a mental breakdown. The song speaks about losing one’s…
“I will take my life today around noon. It is time. Dementia is taking its toll and I have nearly lost myself.” Gillian Bennett chose the…
A professor at York University specializing in trauma and attachment, Robert T. Muller recently gave a lecture at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health….
“I Am” was written by John Clare in 1844 while he was at the Northampton General Lunatic Asylum. Clare suffered from numerous psychological conditions, which…
When Jennifer Sky launched her career at age fourteen, she imagined a glamorous lifestyle, fame, and designer clothes. Flash forward to seventeen: Her experiences turned…
Anne Sexton suffered from bipolar depression, and was treated using techniques that would, by today’s standards, be unsound. Her treatment ranged from the use of sodium…
In a 1976 interview, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys reflected on his drug abuse, which was accompanied by a struggle with depression. Through the years,…
William Blake saw ‘visions’ since a young age – experiences which we might today explain as some type of psychosis. Blake managed to transform these experiences into poetry and…
Francesca Woodman is best known for her controversial photography, much of which was published in her book Some Disordered Interior Geometries. Her black and white…
