Writing and Schizophrenia
Have you ever stopped and considered that most writers could be classified as Schizophrenics?
DSM IV states that if a person exhibits two or more of five common symptoms associated with schizophrenia, the person might be schizophrenic. Two of those symptoms are;
Hallucinations that can include hearing voices that other people can’t hear
Disorganized speech (e.g., frequent derailment or incoherence) - these are also called “word salads”. Ongoing disjointed or rambling monologues - in which a person seems to talking to himself/herself or imagined people or voices.
Now, I don’t know about others, but when I’m writing, my characters talk to me, (i.e. I hear voices in my head). And sometimes, when I’m trying to plow through a particularly difficult exchange between characters, I’ll verbalize that part of the exchange that is giving me fits.
Hmmm. I guess I should seek professional help.
Nancy Cole