Question:
Was manic depression selected for? Was it a useful trait at some point in evolution,
like Sickle Cell Anemia aiding malaria?
I imagine times of stress, in evolutionary past,
when events required sapiens to sleep little,
be alert to details, (and talk alot? hmmm.)
Or, is it a random effect of something that was
selected for like intelligence?
Or, is it a negative trait, like near-sightedness,
that continues because modern society can
still foster those with it?
Answer:
Hunter/Gatherers need to "live in the moment" and be aware of the most
subtle changes in their environment to find food be it on the run or
growing in the ground. I believe BPers tend to be "in the moment" kind of
people.
Shamans in Hunter/Gatherer societies seem to be BP (or schizophrenic).
Perhaps their changing moods made it easier to "cross between the worlds"
of their human community and animal prey. This ability to experience the
world in multiple ways IMO promotes creativity in thinking.
Hunter/Gatherer societies migrated to follow food sources. People with BP
tend to have bioelectromagnetic sensitivities. This may have aided them in
navigating according to changes in the Earth's magnetic fields in much the
same way that many animals use the magnetosphere to navigate.
In short, BPers in Hunter/Gatherer societies would have been spiritual and
intellectual figures as well as leaders of the hunt and migration. The
normals were there for support purposes. The major theme of the book is the link between manic
depression and creativity. A high percentage of the most
brilliant, creative and productive people in history have
been manic depressive. Up to 50% of the top poets, varying
percentages of the top people in other creative fields.
Political leaders too. The human race would certainly be
poorer without those people.
A major philosophical issue develops from this: what if we
could prevent all manic depressive illness, but at the cost
of losing the associated creativity and energy. Would this
be a good trade-off? Even the individuals who suffer from
the illness often make it clear that they don't care at all
for this idea. The rest of us would surely lose as well.
We are long way from understanding the neurological
mechanisms of intelligence, creativity, or manic depressive
illness. It's entirely possible that evolving toward
greater intelligence and creativity inevitably carried the
risk of manic depressive illness with it. They may be
inextricably intertwined.
