Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:198-202
Copyright © 1980 by American Psychiatric Association
Clouds and silver linings: positive experiences associated with primary affective disorders
KR Jamison, RH Gerner, C Hammen and C Padesky
Clinical psychiatry has focused almost entirely on the psychopathology of
the affective disorders. The authors studied responses of 61 patients (35
bipolar. 26 unipolar) to questions about perceived short- and long-term
benefits (increased sensitivity, sexuality, productivity, creativity, and
social outgoingness) they attributed to their affective illness. Bipolar
patients strongly indicated positive experiences associated with
manic-depressive illness; few unipolar patients perceived their disorder in
such a way. Significant sex differences emerged in the attributions made by
bipolar patients.
