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DEPRESSION, MANIC DEPRESSION
AND MR N.R.DRAKE
by Donnah Boyce

(transcribed from Pink Moon #11, July 1997)

Donnah Boyce is in the third year of a four year Bachelor of Psychology with Honours degree at the University of New England, NSW, Australia.


I've noticed in my readings about Nick Drake he is sometimes referred to as a 'manic depressive'. My knowledge of psychology made me wary of this label. Everything I've read about Nick and listening to his music indicates to me that he was depressed, but not manically depressed. Many people use the term 'manic depression' to mean a severe or long lasting depression, not realising the mania side of it construes a different disorder.
      It is a strange task to attempt to diagnose someone who has been dead for nearly a quarter of a century, and someone who I've never interviewed or given psychological tests. Instead, I'm basing my opinion on Nick's music (the lyrics mainly) and things he's been quoted as saying.
    Firstly to define depression and mania. depression is a sad, low and lethargic state in which life seems black and overwhelming. Mania is the opposite of depression and is a state of frenzied energy and euphoria. Usually, moods such as happiness or sadness are transient responses to life events. In people diagnosed as having a mood disorder the moods last a long time, colour all their interactions with the world and disrupt their normal functioning. There are two main types of mood disorders, depression and manic depression (now known as bipolar disorder). In depression the person suffers recurrent depression but has no history of mania. Bipolar disorder entails alternating periods of depression and mania, usually with intervening periods of normal mood. Most bipolar mood disorders begin with a manic episode.
    The symptoms of depression include emotional sadness, loss of pleasure from anything, lack of affection for other people, lack of motivation, dramatic decreases in activity, slow, quiet speech and movements, reduced eye contact with others, thinking of oneself as a failure and physically unattractive, and blaming oneself for almost everything. Confusion is common, although no intellectual impairment seems to occur. Physical symptoms such as insomnia and changes in appetite may also appear. Because depressed people focus inwardly, they may also magnify physical aches and pains.
    Just reading through this list I can tick almost every characteristic as applying to Nick. For example, he told his mother he had 'failed at everything...' The lyrics of Know, Hazey Jane I and The Thoughts of Mary Jane illustrate Nick's difficulty in relating to other people. Nick didn't feel comfortable with his length and physique, suffered insomnia, seemed confusedf, withdrew from social and professional contact, and the Poor Boy was so worried about his health (to name a few instances...).
    In contrast, during a manic episode people feel euphoric and jovial, although the joy is out of all proportion to what is happening in their lives. They are driven, impulsive, extremely talkative, desire constant excitement and companionship, but do not realise they seem overwhelming to other people. Their behaviour is hyperactive , rushed, loud, and they make grandiose and impractical plans. Listening to Nick's music he certainly doesn't seem manic. The only evidence I can find that suggests anything like bipolar disorder are references to his last years as 'see-saw years' and 'dipping and soaring' with 'brief periods of elation overcompensated by plunges into despair' (Patrick Humphries, Record Hunter, March 1991; Mojo, Feb. 1997). I interpret the 'dipping' to refer to depression and the 'soaring' to times of a more normal, happier mood state. Also, often cited is Nick's sudden happiness during the later months of 1974 where he 'loved Paris and the Seine'. But, again, I see this as a return to a normal mood state rather than a manic episode. Indeed, at this time Nick realised he might be happier writing for others, which is probably a practical solution to his distaste for promotion and performing, rather than a grandiose manic plan. The quest to find an alternative occupation, such as attempting to enter the army and starting a computer programming career, do not, in themselves, constitute manic plans, especially when his motivation to write music was at a low ebb. I feel if Nick did have manic episodes we would probably have several more Drake CDs on our shelves! During manic episodes productivity skyrockets (but not necessary quality!). Instead, we have a slim, yet slowly worked perfectionistic legacy.
    Nick's stillness, quietness, perfectionism, withdrawal from human interaction, sensitivity and deep thoughts are indicative of his introverted temperament, and also of his severe and chronic depression. Incidentally, introverts also tend to excel at tasks that require fine work, e.g. counter-point guitar!
    A closing thought as to why Nick's music is so deeply moving to the rest of us. One of my text books (*) posits an idea for consideration: i.e. that depressed people probably see the world and themselves more realistically than 'normal' people. That is, non-depressed people over-estimate their chances of success and underestimate their chances of failure. It is a human coping mechanism (or defense mechanism) that allows us to navigate through life. Nick's view of life, as reflected in his music, hits a nerve with us - a part of our thinking and feelings we have suppressed to enable us to cope. Indees, in Nick's own word (speaking to Brian Wells) he describes himself thus: 'I can't cope. All the defences are gone. All the nerves are exposed'. The genius of Nick Drake was that he captured that intense vulnerability so precisely in his music. It's so gentle and passive yet miraculously manages to pierce your heart and leave you spinning. A taste of what it was to be Nick Drake, maybe?

(*) Atkinson, R.L., Atkinson, R.C., Smith, E.E., & Bem, D.J. (1993). Introduction to Psychology. (11th ed.) New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (pp 644-645).

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