So far most if not all of my posts have shown that writing can help those who are battling with depression.
So this week, it was my goal to try and find an article or blog that went against my own belief. It took awhile but I finally did it.
I found a blog written by Ian Hocking, a writer from the U.K, that expresses that writing as a career can actually increase the chance that a person will be depressed.
He writes,
“The writer works alone and for long periods. Social isolation is linked to depression because social interaction provides various kinds of support that can inhibit depressive thoughts and tendencies. The writer doesn’t get much exercise. Regular exercise mitigates against the development of depressive symptoms. The writer is poorly paid, and this might lead to poor diet (though I must say that, in my case, the reduction in shopping budget has led to healthier meals), which is linked to depression. Poor pay is also linked to lowered social status, another causal factor in depression. Finally, your success as a writer is almost completely attributable to other people – editors, publishers, readers – and when those people aren’t helpful…this might lead to a sense of hopelessness, and a feeling that the fundamentals of life are not under your control.”
I think that this blog is a nice contrast to all of my musings and emotional entries about how writing is the way to deal with depression. According to Ian and the Grumpy Old Bookman, writing is sometimes the cause of depression.
I understand that choosing writing as a career can be a frustrating path that leads to depression and I think that is exactly where my old posts differ from this one.
My other posts deal with writers who are writing just for the pleasure of writing or writing to specifically deal with a problem such as depression. The blogs talked about here deal with writing as a career.
I still feel that overall I would claim that writing does indeed help depression, but now after reading these two blogs I might be a little more reluctant to tell a student that may be prone to depression to choose writing as his/her career.
Ian Hocking.”Depression in the Arts.” March 14, 2007
Michael Allen. “Suicide is painless.” March 14, 2007
Poom said,
March 31, 2007 at 4:12 am
Hello Marie, my name is Poom. I actually the one who want to write as a career but so far though
I agree that writing in a box (shut your self in a room spent time writing something) is depressive. I cannot writing more than couple of hours, too bad.
Your blog is great ! It’s very nice and friendly (to me).
Nice Picture (may i ask you how can i get one?)
Nice to meet you
Tess said,
April 1, 2007 at 12:37 am
It’s funny…Like you, I never thought about how writing could possibly lead to depression. For me, it was always used as a way out. I feel that writing, for a lot of people, is a way to express themselves in ways that they cannot verbally or in some other constructive way. But now that you mention how writing can be a CAUSE of depression, it makes me think.
For people who write professionally, writing is their job. It’s what they are SUPPOSED to do day in and day out, and I can see how eventually it is no longer the thing they WANT to do anymore. Even if writing is something that a person loves, the thing that you love can become the thing that tears you down…if it takes over your whole life. What about all of those writers who suffered from depression – did they write because they were depressed, or were they depressed because they wrote? Maybe both? Maybe writing started out as a form or release and then became a thing that dragged them down and ate them up. Sylvia Plath, Ernest Hemingway…they were brilliant, and their writing tells us so much about them, but was it partially their work that brought them to kill themselves?
That’s not a question anyone can answer, and frankly, I do not think I want the answer. What they gave us through their work is powerful and touches so many people, but is it also what ended their life and their amazing career? No, I do not want the answer. I still believe, as you do, that writing can be a way for a person who is depressed to express themselves and perhaps find a way out of their depression. But what we have to remember that too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. If a student in one of our classes some day suffers from depression, we can offer him/her help through writing and self-expression…but if we find him cutting himself off more and more from people and spending all of his time alone and writing increasingly depressing things, what we need to do is find them some other help. Writing is no longer allowing him an outlet and is instead bringing him closer to darkness.
I hope my point came across the way I intended it to here. Your blog started me thinking and before I knew it, I was rambling my thoughts all over your page. I really like this addition to your blog; it brings in an interesting perspective I might not have seen otherwise and really rounds things out.
–Tess
change » Writing as a Career= Depression? said,
April 1, 2007 at 11:38 am
[...] Jane wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptI found a blog written by Ian Hocking, a writer from the UK, that expresses that writing as a career can actually increase the chance that a person will be depressed. He writes,. “The writer works alone and for long periods. … [...]
anxiety » Writing as a Career= Depression? said,
April 1, 2007 at 2:31 pm
[...] Thom wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSocial isolation is linked to depression because social interaction provides various kinds of support that can inhibit depressive thoughts and tendencies. The writer doesn’t get much exercise. Regular exercise mitigates against the … [...]
andi12 said,
April 10, 2007 at 10:04 pm
I like that you took the time to find an article/blog that went against your original idea. As you point out, there is a specific difference between someone who writes for pleasure or as a hobby and someone who is determined to make writing a full-time career. History certainly points to career writing being very difficult to do with many well known writers having committed or attempted suicide and also evidence of pervasive drug use and alcoholism in certain literary circles. (I am thinking of writers such as Stephen King, Earnest Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, etc as Tess also pointed out) For someone who wants to use writing as an outlet for thoughts or ideas it can be extremely therapeutic as you point out in your posts. Depression is a serious thing and for those who are experiencing it, sometimes it is worth it to try anything to get rid of the black cloud. Writing is such a powerful mode of expression and that tool can be helpful and deadly all at the same time. It is important though to draw the line between writing to realive stress and writing when under stress. The former can lead to an amazing and powerful release, but that latter can lead to forms of self-destruction.
matt4386 said,
April 11, 2007 at 4:25 am
This is going to sound a little perverse, but I love this response/article. My aspiration is to become a writer and lately I’ve been thinking about all these suicides/depression that seems to go hand-in-hand with writers in the past. This is my theory (haha)… writers, in some cases, have a very bleak perspective of the world. When looking at the writings of some modernists, it’s almost easy to see why they would kill themselves. All they see is a society that continues to self-destruct due to greed, jealousy, etc. and focus on these issues in order to show the reader the downfalls of living in such a pitiful world. The writer concentrates so much on the depressing and miserable conditions of humanity that they feel the only way to ultimately escape is through death. I’m not a writer or an expert so this may not be the case, but I feel like so many of those writers had a negative view of overall life which may have been caused by depression or cause depression. Since I too have a pessimistic view (but I’m not depressed) I enjoy the works of these writers, especially since they are not afraid to use truth to exploit the downward spiral society is undergoing.
That's What Matt Said. . . « What has two thumbs and is ready to blog? This guy! said,
April 11, 2007 at 4:37 am
[...] That’s What Matt Said. . . Writing as A Career Depression [...]
My Comments « Impeccable Timing and Dynamic Wit said,
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Gina said,
April 17, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Hey Marie,
Great post. I had, for a while, considered being a writing major. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. My first story was a fan fiction based on the American Girl series (What?!) when I was around 6 or 7. It was a scary story about a haunted mirror and…well, that’s not important. My point is, it’s interesting you found that article. Many people I know who are writing majors, especailly creative writing majors, are afraid of exactly what that author described. While doing something they are passionate about, the coasts still maybe higher then the payback.
However, I would like to say that I think that, even if it is not a full time career, wirting is something that is something that every individual should at least try and experience. Very interesting post.
Thanks for sharing!
:~: Gina :~: _\,,/
cherneyn said,
April 17, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I think it is pretty sad that I figured that writers suffer from depression more than other people in other professions. I think that they are taking risks for hte sake of their careers, but they are also risking their mental health. I feel bad because being a writer has always seemed like a depressing job to me, but then people choose this profession. Are they getting themselves into a personal suicide? Are they committing mental anguish on themselves for choosing a job they know may cause them mental health problems? Maybe someone will see this and post, I am eager to hear the point of view of someone that experiences these things or is in the writing profession and has never experienced something like this before.
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April 17, 2007 at 7:04 pm
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prettyladyliun06 said,
April 18, 2007 at 2:22 am
Oh me oh my- I am so glad you wrote this blog! This issue of writing and depression is one of my favorite. I too have tended to belong to the camp that stakes it’s claim in writing as a sort of theraputic remedy. But when reading this Ian guys comments I have to say that what he says makes some sense- actually it makes quite a bit of sense. Have you seen the Johnny Depp movie “Secret Window” FREAKY. I think it depends on the person, whether or not writing is helpful or hurtful. A person who would rather not be surrounded by people all of the time and who feeds on people’s notion of their person would do GREAT as a writer. On the flip, a person who freaks out whenever someone says something slightly critical and who needs to earn oogles of dollars to have any self-worth would probably not fare so well as a writer. I really think it depends on the individual persons; however, that being said I think I still pitch my tent in the camp from whence I came.
) nonetheless… a very important issue, not to mention extremely interesting! Nice work.
Comments « daily pennies said,
April 18, 2007 at 2:59 am
[...] Writing as a career=Depression?: Kooikema [...]
music said,
January 31, 2008 at 9:26 pm
What do you mean ?
C.K. Parke said,
November 8, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Things can always go either way, be negative or positive. For one person, such as me for example, a certain type of writing may be beneficial, while another sort may result in the experiencing of negative emotions. I can’t stand to write realistically but creative wriing is a productive output for me.
So it’s very easy to believe that writing can both treat or enhance depression symptoms.