Carmina. I don't know how to reference posts so I will reply addressing you by your username. My depressions had no ups, even normallicy except creatively. In otherwords by practicing my instruments and really getting into my music and by painting, and really getting into that, I would go into self induced periods of mania during the process. Whether right or wrong, I never considered that bipolar mania. However because of my high agitation and nervousness concurrent with my depressions, and a couple of other symptoms, my last therapist felt those depressions did include mixed episodes.

I firmly believe that my move from north to the south in the US, with the increase in the amount of sunlight I get living down here, is what finally triggered the mood swings characteristic of bipolar. I do believe now I was bipolar all along, just the symptoms of the illness changed with the change in climate. Also I have done a lot of work in therapy and have changed a lot of myself. But it still took medication to get me to stability.

I have been on medication for most of my life, just nothing before now totally worked. I have basically been on APs and ADs since the age of 18, but have never found MEDICATION to be detrimental to my creativity. My symptoms would interfere more than anything else.

Now I am finding I can think more clearly and enjoy more what I do with my hands. However, I m a senior now and my physical health interferes more than my medication in reaching the euphoric state during creativity because I m unable to work through the hours I used to do in that euphoria of creativity. I have a small amount of energy level time that I can work on anything before I have to break off and rest. I can still do beautiful work, but it takes much much longer.

However,again, as others have said, although I personally don't find the medication stopping or negatively affecting creativity, and even find my clearer mind seemingly to enhance it, others have found the opposite to be true, where they have to choose between medication or creativity.