As a teenager, I got diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. After a nightmare course of medication, I decided to forgo taking drugs for my mental state. Part of my therapy was to write intact – without changing anything – the extremities that ran through my image system. I still use this same method when writing. The authenticity comes from not denying the intensity of the actual imagery – you just set it in the draft like a trembling bird.

As such, all of my work is created while experiencing symptoms of my mental disorder. Writing is a coping mechanism to focus my mind during negative states, allowing me to enact subterranean realities conjured against my will. Like many artists with these conditions, writing regularly saves my life – and allows me to show others the chimeras that populate my mind.

For fear of stigma, I spent decades hiding my disorder. But with time, the condition became more prominent. Instead of suppressing it, I chose to embrace it. It is not just sadness. It is not “being crazy.” It is a distinct medical issue – with symptoms and treatments just like any other chronic disease.

About 10% of the worldwide population suffers from a mental illness. That number jumps to 25% with artists. And yet this topic is still a dirty secret hidden by pills and therapy and silence. The existence of this very web-page is proof of the buried discourse around mental disorders.

Any conversation about this topic starts with a shared understanding. The following videos are the bedrock of any dialogue about my disorder:

Black Dog of Depression (4 mins)

The “Weather” of Depression Disorders (5 mins)

In addition, I run a play company devoted to developing work by authors with mental disorders. Check it out here. Please also feel free to contact me here. Take care.

– t