In order to understand the secrets of the brain, I started to
contemplate the fallacies of the human mind. In everyday life I often
wonder - is my way of thinking normal? Does it fit into the framework of
normal functioning? In a way, society is our role model. Through a
feedback we know when our behaviour is inappropriate. But is society
always right? Times change and so does the way we think.
In
the case of the brain, I considered mental disorders to be errors. My
particular attention was drawn to bipolar affective disorder. The
disorder is characterised by alternating episodes of depression and
mania or hypomania. In a sense, the patient is unstable, juggling
between two extremes, which is exhausting in the long run. People in the
mania phase are often perceived as impulsive, positively excited and
therefore diagnosing this disorder is difficult.
A large proportion of
people with cyclophrenia are diagnosed as having a depressive disorder,
because they usually come to the therapist in a depressive phase.
However, treatment for depression is different from treatment for
bipolar disorder. Inadequate or no treatment often leads to suicidal
thoughts on the part of the sufferer, or even worse, to the suicide.
My
painting is a cry for help for people who are struggling with bipolar
disorder. By doing so I want to emphasise that knowledge about mental
disorders is not widespread in society and that people with the illness
are often diagnosed too late.