Manic Depression: as Played by Jimi Hendrix
by
Noah Leonard
Jimi Hendrix was a very popular guitar player and singer in the 60s and 70s. He Became famous and had many hits. One of his great hits was Manic Depression. Most people don’t really know what manic depression means. Manic depression is a slang name for bipolar disorder, which is defined by bouts of depression, and periods of intense manic highs. Many people know the song manic depression, but was Hendrix really bipolar?
To be bipolar you need to meet the modern requirements as stated in the DSM-4. These are as follows: at least one bout of manic, or hypomanic state. A manic state is defined by many things. Some are: A distinct period of abnormally elevated or irritable state lasting at least one (1) week, Inflated self esteem, decreased need for sleep or insomnia, racing thoughts and excessive involvement in pleasure activities. A hypomanic state is defined as: A persistently elevated state that lasts for as long as four (4) days, inflated self esteem, decreased need for sleep, racing thoughts, excessive involvement in pleasure activities.
Does Jimi Hendrix have manic depression? We may never know but we will take a look at it through three different psychological viewpoints: Freudian, Buddhist and a humanistic/cognitive view.
In Freudian psychology there is a focus on early life and childhood. Jimi Hendrix had a rough childhood, he was born to a very young mother who left his family early on. When his mother was there his parents would fight a lot. Jimi Hendrix’s father never quite took his want to play guitar seriously until he really showed him. He would only buy Jimi a toy guitar at first. Looking at it through a Freudian perspective this could have caused Hendrix to have bipolar later in life. Jimi Hendrix could have projected his rough childhood into his guitar playing, causing a manic effect, while suppressing the feelings could cause a depressive effect.
If we look at what could have caused Hendrix to be bipolar on a Buddhist level we could say it is an attachment problem. Buddhists believe that attachment causes suffering in this life, this suffering could be shown through depression. Lets say for now that Jimi Hendrix wanted to be a star, and the best guitar player. If he became attached to this idea it could be very harmful to him and could have put him into a depressive state.
Another way to look at it would be through a humanistic viewpoint. If Jimi Hendrix was working towards self actualization to become the best guitar player he could be, or to be as famous
as he could be, this could cause problems. On its own this would not be so bad but Jimi Hendrix was doing a lot of drugs at the time, and these drugs could cause a lot of thought distortions in his head. These thought distortions could make him think that he HAD to be the best, and if he wasn't the best he was no good at all. Things like this could by all means give someone a complex and a depression. Also this need to be the best could drive him into Manic stages of his life where he is focused on music and only music.
I think that Jimi Hendrix definitely went through depressive phases in his life, here is a quote from him.
Reporter: “do you consider yourself a disciplined guy, do you get up every day and work?”
Hendrix: “Well, I try to get up every day.”
This quote definitely shows depressive behavior from Jimi Hendrix. Another quote from an interview with Hendrix shows very manic behavior.
In response to a question about Pete Townshend smashing his guitar:
“We don’t really break anything onstage – only a few strings. Actually, we do anything we feel like. If we wanted to break something up, we would do it. There’s a lot of times in the past I have felt like that too. But it isn’t just for show, and I can’t explain the feeling. It’s just like you want to let loose and do exactly what you want if your parents weren’t watching. I dig The Who – I like a lot of their songs! The Byrds are pretty good too, though I know you don’t dig them over here. They’re on a different kick. I like them.”
This shows the kind of up and up attitude associated with manic phases. The involvement in pleasure activities is a big sign of a manic phase and this is Hendrix talking about just that, and acting on a whim. He says he does whatever he feels like, and he doesn’t know why.
So was Jimi Hendrix bipolar? I think that he probably was. He had phases of depression definitely, but he does fit a lot of criteria for manic phases. Excessive involvement in pleasure activities: he did lots of drugs throughout his life. He also had decreased need for sleep as he would play until early in the morning and wake up the next day to either record or travel to play another show. Jimi hendrix was one of the greatest guitar players to ever live and I think it is very possible if not probable that he was bipolar, although we may never know.
Works Cited:
"The Hendrix Experience: “Manic depression is a frustrating mess”." Cobbers on the Brain. N.p., 15 december 2011. Web. 5 May 2013.
Barker, Steve. "Jimi Hendrix: The Complete January 1967 Interview." PureGuitar. N.p.. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://pureguitar.com/interviews/2013/02/19/jimi-hendrix-the-complete-january-1967-interview/>.
Sheff, Nik. "Why cant Holly Wood get bipolar disorder right?."Salon. N.p.. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/misdiagnosing_bipolar_disorder_in_tv_and_movies_partner/>.
"Jimi Hendrix Manic Depression." Surviving Depression. N.p.. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.survivingdepression.net/copying/jimihendrix.html>.
Hege, Darvin. "Following are the DSM IV diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder treatments.." Darvin hege, MD PC. N.p.. Web. 5 May 2013. <http://www.eveningpsychiatrist.com/bipolar/dsm/>.