When I was reading Swallow Me Whole it just reminded me of the connotation or stereotype of those suffering from mental illnesses as having some sort of transient power to converse with this bigger than life artistic inspiration or talent. Personally I think great art comes from the overcoming of great struggles, but who knows? Here are two different articles with two viewpoints on the matter:
http://www.findingoptimism.com/blog/reviews/art-by-the-famous-mentally-ill/
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-healing-arts/200901/art-and-mental-illness-stop-the-insanity
Thanks for highlighting the (at least) two sides of this argument about creativity and mental illness. Here’s another perspective to add to the mix: Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, speaking about the wrongheaded notion that creativity requires a crazy, Romantic genius: http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html