Not surprising is the fact that creativity and mental illness are a controversial topic. Various studies on this correlation tend to point to the fact that it is not fully relevant or true. Though in some cases it is true, most sources say that generally it is not. Creativity and genius are not related. This will cover how this correlation is proved through a study of a large population, finding that bipolar disorder is associated with creativity and that authors are more likely to be mentally ill. There is also the parallel between anxiety and depression specifically and their potential association with mental illness.
In a study I read, it explained the possible correlation between creativity, therefore genius, and various mental disorders. Surprisingly, it is not as connected as one would think. The study explains using a large number of people to come to some interesting conclusions. It states that a certain profession is matched to multiple disorders. Interestingly, there is also a slight genetic component between a creative individual and their family lines.
It is commonly known that mental illness and creativity are related. A group of scientists decided to test this premise. Though many studies of this kind include a small data set, they chose to inquire on a larger scale. They had 1,173,763 patients. The purpose of this study is to discover if all psychiatric disorders are associated with creativity, or it is limited to psychotic elements, while also looking at authors in accordance with psychopathology.
They did a nested-case study, using a Swedish population, they looked at the occurrence of patients with diagnosed mental disorders and their relatives in comparison to controlled body. In the study, they chose to evaluate all sorts of psychiatric diagnoses, including, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, ADHD, anorexia nervosa, and suicide.
In this study, creative occupations were those considered with Art and Science. The findings were rather surprising. Besides an association with bipolar disorder, those in creative occupations were not more likely to have a psychiatric disorder than the control. However, those employed as authors were more likely to have disorders schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, and suicide, among others. They also found an association between creative professions and close relatives having the disorders of, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa, and for siblings of patients with autism.
In another study, they looked at the correlation between anxiety and depression and aspects of creativity, such as divergent thinking, creative self-concepts, everyday creative behaviors, and creative accomplishments. Generally speaking, the severity anxiety, depression, or social anxiety symptoms were of small consequence in a person's creative ability. This again points to the quality of these studies as they both justify this correlation.
In conclusion, it is not a surprise that certain disorders are associated with certain creative professions. However, it is not as widespread as I originally thought. Unlike popular belief, not every genius is crazy, nor is every mentally ill person a genius. It is important to realize that bipolar disorder is the only disorder specifically associated with genius and creativity. As for the remaining disorders, they can be seen in relation to certain professions, but not all. Lastly, the familial relation is an interesting concept where an individual can be closely related to someone with a disorder, but not have it themselves. As for the correlation between depression and anxiety with creativity, there is nearly none. Possessing a mental illness does not mean a person is a genius or creative type, they are generally unrelated.
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/aca/4/1/2/
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