Unfortunate Truth

Sometimes it often baffles me beyond imagination that some of the best rock legends have either died young due to some or other unnatural cause of death. The history of Rock music is replete with numerous cases of suicides. It’s an irony that some of the greatest philosophers and erudite minds in history also died young.

Now what is it that provokes these singers and artists to commit suicide .A study conducted to understand the linkages between artists, depression and suicidal tendencies has some insight on this.

Only in the last 25 years has scientific evidence demonstrated that creative people are more vulnerable to depression and suicide, regardless of whether or not they become famous. More research is needed to determine which:

Patients suffering from depressive or manic depressive disorders are most vulnerable to suicide

Treatments will control the disorder without interfering with the artists’ ability to create.

Throughout history artists, writers and musicians have seemed to suffer disproportionately from mood disorders.

Only recently has research concluded that a high percentage of artists — both past and contemporary — have, in fact, suffered from affective illness, particularly manic-depressive disorder.

Treatment of major depressive illness in artists has presented unique problems; partly because of a concern that creativity and the disorder are so intertwined that treatment might destroy the artists’ unique talent.

An interesting comparative study on death history of rock legends has this amazing data.The Average Age at Death of Rock Stars :36.9 Years and the maximum no of deaths is primarily due to

Heart Attack :42 , Drug Overdose:40,

Misc. Medical:37, Suicide:36

Auto/Cycle Crash: 35, Cancer:25,

Airplane Crash:22,Unknown:21

Murdered:18, Alcohol:9

This just proves the fact that the life in the fast lane is not always shiny and true, perhaps talent comes with its own share of liabilities and the one who are artistically gifted or talented are emotionally unstable and desperate to some extent. Not only rock musicians the history of philosophy is also similar and some of the greatest philosophical minds have had unnatural deaths. Socrates, Machiavelli, Descartes are just some of the names which comes to mind.

So does it means that talented minds are always the other extreme and if not engaged in right activities may meet any unfortunate end ?