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Synesthesia in Bipolar Disorder

For people with synesthesia, experiences in one sensory modality automatically activate experiences in another sensory modality. For example, words and numbers may automatically be perceived in terms of colors or musical tones. A person may “see” certain sounds, or “hear” visual stimuli. The neurological underpinnings of synesthesia are increasingly well understood and seem to involve cross-wiring between different parts of the brain involved in sensory experience (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia).

Many people with bipolar disorder report experiencing synesthesia, and there are case studies of people with synesthesia who report experiencing very powerful moods. We are interested in these links, in part because we think they will help us understand more about links between creativity and bipolar disorder (link with creativity and bipolar disorder page).

We are planning a study of synesthesia that can be completed over the web. The study will involve some tests of color perception, vision, and associations of color with common letters and words. We will also ask a series of questions about mood episodes during your lifetime.

The study is not recruiting yet, but feel free to check back here or to email us at Calmprogram@gmail.com for more information.