The Link Between Mental Illness And Creativity

It’s very common to see creative artists who also suffer from mental illness. The connection between mental disorder and creativity is well established and publicized.

The tortured artist stereotype, of the visual artist working on paintings in dark somber hues for day after day in a bid to hold off depression, or the writer who churns out inhuman amounts of top-quality work on a manic high, is very common.

But is there an actual proven link between creativity and mental illness? Are all of the examples we can think of just isolated cases?

Practicing psychiatrists and scholars can’t seem to agree. There are studies that show a correlation, or a statistically significant link, between mental illness and creativity.

One such study, by Standfard University School of Medicine, tested children on several measures of artistic creativity. This study found that those children with an elevated risk for developing bipolar disorder (because they had ADHD or a parent with bipolar disorder) also scored higher than their not-at-elevated risk peers on measures of creativity. These findings have the attention of the medical community, and further research will be conducted.

Another study, conducted jointly by the University of Toronto and Harvard, found that very creative people are less able to disregard external stimuli. They are more distractible, and thus work best in quiet and isolated conditions.

No one can dispute that many of the most famous artists and writers and musicians of the modern age have struggled with mental disorders like depression or bipolar disorder. Some of these creative people are household names because of their accomplishments, even.

We won’t resolve the debate over the link between madness and creativity any time soon. We will likely continue to discuss this matter for decades to come. Until researchers come up with the irrefutable proof to establish the causal link, or disprove it entirety, the popular image of the tortured artist will continue to fascinate us all.

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