Van Gogh and lithium. Creativity and bipolar disorder: perspective of an academic psychologist

Meg Smith experienced her first serious depressive episode during the final years of her Bachelor of Arts degree. The experience of depressive illness and good counselling interested her in counselling so she switched from a potential career as an English teacher to the study of psychology and counselling. After completing a master's degree in clinical psychology, she worked as a counsellor at a women's health centre until she experienced a manic episode in 1980. After recovering from the episode and the experience of being an involuntary patient, she began to explore the implications of the diagnosis of 'manic depressive illness'. Meg is currently a senior lecturer in social policy at the Bankstown campus of the University of Western Sydney Macarthur. She finds that her position as an academic has enabled her to speak out about social policy and legislation in the area of mental illness. She is currently president of the NSW Association for Mental Health and active in the development of support groups and information resources for people who experience mood disorder.