Although the image of the tortured artist might seem like a stereotypical archetype, there seems no shortage of evidence that people of a creative bent often suffer from mental illness. The examples are manifold – Van Gogh, the painter who had, according to art critic Robert Hughes “…fits of despair and hallucination during which he could not work, and in between them, long clear months in which he could and did, punctuated by extreme visionary ecstasy.” He was known for cutting off his ear during one of his episodes and giving it to a prostitute. He died of a self inflicted gunshot wound. Beethoven was known for periods of melancholy and was likely bipolar. William Blake, scion of the Romantic Age, was considered a lunatic by his peers.

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