QUESTION: It seems that many famous artists, writers, etc., have suffered from bouts of madness. Is there a relationship between creativity and mental illness, or does it just seem that way because odd or tragic characters are more likely to be remembered?
– C. McCormick, San Diego
ANSWER: The idea that madness and creativity are linked goes back to antiquity, but it is not without controversy. Some schools of psychological thought consider creativity to be linked with sound mental health. Today, the prevailing view is that creative genius and some mental disorders are linked, but not necessarily directly.
Three sources of evidence have been mined to determine the relationship between mental disorders and creativity. First, biographies of renowned creators have been analyzed for symptoms of psychopathologies. Second, researchers have examined the incidence of diagnosed mental disorders in contemporary creative people. Third, standard personality questionnaires have compared creative and noncreative individuals.
Conclusions from the three types of studies are consistent. People who are highly creative are more likely to have certain mental disorders, especially depression, than comparable less creative individuals.
For people working in the creative arts, the lifetime prevalence of depression is 50 percent, compared with between 20 percent and 30 percent for people in business, scientists and social figures. Within the creative arts, writers of poetry and fiction and visual artists are most likely to suffer from depression.
Because the defining symptoms of depression include lack of interest and energy, it is paradoxical that depression is associated with creative behavior. Indeed, depression does not appear to be the cause of creative productivity. During a depressive episode, creativity is not enhanced, and mood stabilizers have been found to increase productivity.
Instead, studies suggest that self-reflective rumination – conscious, recurring thoughts focused on one's inner feelings – may be the explanation. The tendency to ruminate has been shown to increase vulnerability to depression. Rumination has also been shown to enhance creativity – depression and creativity are linked because a third factor causes both.
The role of rumination could also explain the lower prevalence of depression among scientific creators versus artistic creators. Introspection is less useful for providing ideas that could advance science than for providing content for poetry and other artistic endeavors.
Sherry Seethaler is a UCSD science writer and educator. Send scientific questions to her at Quest, The San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191.
