Where to begin? First, I sympathize with your situation - I too struggle with the same problem, and it has truly been a lifelong battle. I probably wouldn't be admitting to it, even after years of therapy, without the anonymity of the internet...but I digress. Having said that, I think you are making it seem too easy. If anyone should realize that people have radically different brains, it should be us - don't assume that it's as easy to treat and overcome for them as it is for you. People don't understand how we can feel so hopeless when there is beauty all around us because they make the assumption that our brains work logically, when they do not. Don't do the same to other people. Don't assume that their problems are equal to or less intense than your own. Don't judge them for being unable to overcome something you are able to overcome.
As a musician it's particularly difficult. Great music (scratch that, GREAT ART in general) comes from pain. Happy people write catchy fun songs, but the kind of words and images that truly stand the test of time come from pain. I work with and know literally hundreds of great songwriters, many of whom you probably have heard of, and I can tell you that their lives are complete wrecks - many of them don't suffer from depression, but instead will deliberately sabotage relationships or drive themselves to substance abuse just so they can write great music. Is that selfish? Yes - but I don't know if guys like Hendrix or Cobain did these things to themselves intentionally, or if they were genuinely chemically imbalanced, and simply self-medicated. Unless they were tested properly I think you are making an assumption.
As for those who don't seek help intentionally, I can't help but be reminded of the story of Achilles - he is revealed a prophecy by his mother that if he does not go to fight the trojan war he will live a long and happy life, ultimately dying of old age. If, however, he decides to go to war, he will not return home, but instead will live on forever in legend. Guess which he chose? I realize the story isn't true, but I think that there is an underlying desire in much of humanity to create something lasting and memorable that the story illustrates particularly well. Many would rather be remembered for something brief but great. You may find that silly, but ultimately it is their life, and their choice.
As for why people don't get treatment for a legitimate problem, I think there are a number of significant reasons other than being selfish or foolish. The first is quite simply that you are denying a part of yourself - it is something most us were born with, and unlike a condition with some kind of outward sign such as something that makes you violent, it's convenient to deny that you have a problem at all or simply cover it up. I think there's also a great fear of the unknown - who will you be if your brain suddenly works radically different? Will you still feel like yourself? The medications also work in different ways on different people. I can't function with them - many make it hard to focus, others give me a sense of a "false high" and others simply make me feel numb.
Perhaps I'm overly sensitive to the subject because I'm a big fan of both (particularly Hendrix), but assuming they actually were chemically imbalanced, I feel like you could approach it in a more sympathetic way. With all due respect to all of you, it may not be as simple as you make it out to be.
Edited by hazardous - 6/12/10 at 2:33pm
