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TITLE: "Depression and Creativity" Symposium SPEAKER: Kay Redfield Jamison, Terence Ketter, Peter Whybrow EVENT DATE: 02/03/2009 RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes DESCRIPTION: Kay Redfield Jamison, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, convened a discussion of the effects of depression on creativity. Joining Jamison were two distinguished colleagues from the fields of neurology and neuropsychiatry, Dr. Terence Ketter and Dr. Peter Whybrow. The Music and the Brain series is co-sponsored by the Library's Music Division and Science, Technology and Business Division, in cooperation with the Dana Foundation. The "Depression and Creativity" symposium marks the bicentennial of the birth of German composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), who died after a severe depression following the death of his sister, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, also a gifted composer. Speaker Biography: One of the nation's most influential writers on creativity and the mind, Kay Redfield Jamison is a noted authority on bipolar disorder. She is the co-author of the standard medical text on manic-depressive illness and author of "Touched with Fire," "An Unquiet Mind," "Night Falls Fast" and "Exuberance: The Vital Emotion." Speaker Biography: Dr. Terence Ketter is known for extensive clinical work with exceptionally creative individuals and a strong interest in the relationship of creativity and madness. He is professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and chief of the Bipolar Disorders Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine. Speaker Biography: Dr. Peter Whybrow, an authority on depression and manic-depressive disease, is director of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is also the Judson Braun Distinguished Professor and executive chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at th

The aging brain resembles the creative brain in several ways. For instance, the aging brain is more distractible and somewhat more disinhibited than the younger brain (so is the creative brain). Aging brains score better on tests of crystallized IQ (and creative brains use crystallized knowledge to make novel and original associations).

1. Human relationships: Men have a more difficult time understanding emotions that are not explicitly verbalized 2. Left brain vs. both hemispheres: men approach problem-solving from a task-oriented perspective while women more creatively and are more aware of feelings 3.Mathematical abilities: men perform higher 4. Reaction to stress: Men tend to have a "fight or flight" response to stress, women approach it with a tend and befriend strategy. 5. Language. 2 sections of the brain responsible for language - larger in women 6. Emotions. Women are more in touch with their feelings and better able to express them 7. Brain size. Typically, men's brains are 11-12% bigger 8. Pain: women require more morphine to reach the same level of pain reduction. 9. Spatial ability. Men have stronger spatial abilities. 10. Susceptibility to disorders: Men are more apt to have dyslexia or other lang problems. women are more susceptible to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety.

Imagine that you've been cast away on a desert island. You live completely alone. You have enough to eat and drink. You have shelter. It may even be quite pleasant. But there's no-one else around. After a while you start to feel that some thing s you're doing may be rather strange. One of the things you're lacking is feedback. No-one is giving you any information about how you're getting on. No-one responding to what you do. Without feedback it is difficult to regulate what you do.

When we are anxious or frightened we may feel sick or get diarrhea. If we are angry or frustrated we can end up with a headache, indigestion or tense, aching muscles. These are fairly common complaints which most people suffer at some time. But how can stress play a part in illness such as heart attack, ulcers or depression?

Very interesting, positive review of psychiatrist Daniel J Siegle's new book on mindful for psychotherapists.