Article: Are creatives more prone to mental illness?

Charley started this discussion · 10/16/2012

A friend of mine posted this article on facebook and as I read it - I thought it was very interesting. First hand, I'm an "emotional" person. I do get my feelings hurt and luckily remedied quickly. I've never thought of it as a "mental disorder" before. I am sure somewhere there is a therapist who would say that I have a condition. I do suffer hugely from anxiety - specifically social anxiety. I'm not saying all creative types do but I thought this article was pretty interesting. I haven't decided what I think yet. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK as creative people? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19959565

BBC NewsCreativity 'closely entwined with mental illness'Creativity is often part of a mental illness, with writers particularly susceptible, say experts.

18 replies

chemgoddess1 · 10/16/2012
Speaking as someone who works with a lot of science geeks, I can honestly say that those who excel at the sciences typically are not wired the same as others. The ability to even grasp and understand, let alone make discoveries in this field requires different wiring. I believe that to be true of highly creative types too. When you have different "wiring" you are prone to psychological disorders of a sort. It amazes me on the one "geek" forum I am on how many of the guys have serious social disorders or anxieties; and these are BRILLIANT people. It is to the point where I think having a social disorder is the norm and being "normal" is the disorder. And for my other theory....they say that we only use a small percentage of our brain. Think about how many "multitasks" you can handle at one time. We are constantly bombarded with new technology. Those of us who have grown up with technology have a very small learning curve, whereas those that did not grow up with technology have a steep one. We are constantly pushing the limits of our brain's capabilities and when that happens different pathways get fired up. If we do not know how to handle these different pathways, or even if those pathways bypass our normal filters all sorts of fun things start happening. I wish I understood more about how our brains function.
CapFeb · 10/16/2012
Creative geniuses often times have severe mental and personality disorders, so I definitely agree that creative people (non-genius) would either be prone to mental illness or have smaller emotional disorders. I read a statistic that said artistic genius' was anywhere between 50% to 20% (depending on field of genius) more likely to be bipolar http://www.cracked.com/article_17061_reminder-5-things-you-think-will-make-you-happy-but-wont_p2.html That article linked to a second one on a more medical cased website, but the link seems to have broken. Regardless of facts you can find on the internet, I'd definitely believe it. Creativity is the minds ability to push past boundaries. How many times have you seen a variation of a pole move and thought, "why didn't I think of that, I could definitely do it" (example: Orion), Someone who is genius sees those things every day and struggles with people not seeing what they see, and having to explain it to other people either through dumbing it down or expressing it in a way that other people can understand through dance or other mediums. Someone who is "creative" I would assume gets brief glances of what things SHOULD be like around them/for them and makes steps to accomplish them. When you're constantly going through yourself and matching yourself up to the outside world to express yourself, you're body is going through a lot. Chemically and mentally. It doesn't make anyone "bad" or "disgusting" for being creative and having some mental downfalls, regardless of if those bumps are small hiccups or large mountains (after all, Salvador Dali was by all stretches of the word "insane"). It's just a part of the package that those people learn to embrace :3
Charley · 10/16/2012
I wish I knew more about the brain too and what makes it tick. I would love to know what makes someone "moody" vs "bipolar" or "emotional" vs "depressed & anxious." I often thought that the arts were healing to certain mental conditions, was I wrong? I think it's probably a bit true that creatives are on the crazy side, only because we have so many examples of amazing artists from all fields (music, painting, acting, dancing, film, etc) that often find themselves with addiction problems. Addiction is a mental illness itself not to mention that addictions generally are covering up for other things...
CapFeb · 10/16/2012
bipolar and depression, anxiety, etc, are all horomone related illnesses. Lack of certain chemicals getting to the brain. It's like being diabetic, but with electric inpulses and brain chemicals. Or so that was how it was described to me by a therapist. Addiction is an illness that can be fixed but only if the person wants it to be. More cruel methods that have since been phased out (shock treatment for addiction) didn't do anything but send a signal to that persons body, if I do X then Z is the result. It didn't stop them from wanting it any more or less, they just stopped following through with it. Art is meant to help people. Whether it's dance or pole or singing, it can help someone get over a traumatic experience. Pole dancing is healing for almost everyone woman who posts actively at SV. "I feel so strong/beautiful/important/graceful/etc". Feelings that we otherwise wouldn't have found in any other activity EVER. But for people who find that they're good at something, and are told their entire life (or the vast majority of it) that the have "talent" and they're good at it and get boxed into persuing only that thing, living, eating, breathing it until their dying breath, I'm sure it's very stressful.
chemgoddess1 · 10/16/2012
Generally it is the severity and length of time that distinguishes the differences. I have had bouts of depression (this past year when my studio closed to name one) but I generally know the cause of my depression. I know with some there are chemical markers but others there are no known test because they do not understand why it happens. Hell, up until recently they did not understand why women got menstrual cramps.
NightFall · 10/16/2012
Chemgoddess, speaking as a fellow geek (web designer and former biochemist) I sometimes think that perhpas we're drawn to wanting to "understand" because we do have social problems or otherwise don't quite fit in. I'm pretty extreme with my allergies, but among the tech crowd at work asthma inhalors, epi pens, photosensitivity and knowing you have gene ____ for some potential illness are so common that I really don't stand out so much. The time other kids spent "hanging out" i spent at home reading. Having said that, there was an article on richard dawkins site (not written by him) that suggested that the genes that code for illnesses like depression are important because they also code for creativity and when not activiated for mental illness, they actually make a person more resiliant mentally. I can't find it but it's mentioned here. They basically divided kids into "dandelion children", who grow up ok anywhere and "orchid children" who thirve in good care and go awrey in bad care. Perhaps this explains why i love and keep so many orchids =) http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/can-genes-send-you-high-or-low-the-orchid-hypothesis-a-bloom/
Saphyre · 10/16/2012
Wow, Charley! There are so many thoughts flying through my head at this moment on this subject. My mother-in-law is clinically pyschotic, yet she is sharp as a tack. After several years of hospitals and different doctors and caretakers and medications, it truly amazes me how little is really known about personality disorders and the like. The brain is so complex, and there are so many social, physical, biological, and emotional triggers for just about everything. It comes out in a plethora of forms for every person. Addiction, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, pyschosis' of every sort, or even just plain meaness. At the same time, I TOTALLY agree with Chemmie in that "types" or "categories" of personalities are specifically wired . It makes us an "A" type or type "B" personality or a introvert vs extrovert. It makes us creative, nerdy, dumb or smart (or a combo). Ever notice how people who do the same job have some similar personality traits? My husband is an Air Traffic Control Specialist at Chicago Center. All ATCS's are cocky and have similarly strange senses of humor. A couple of weeks after I started to pole, we found that more than half our class were or had been hairstylists or makeup artists. I also think the way we are wired can be the determining factor on how we each deal with ourselves and our "issues". Similar to Nightfall's mention of dandelions vs orchids! (Love that!) I could really go on for hours over this subject, but I'll stop now...well By the way.. I also have social anxiety and from a prior Veener thread, it seems a common theme among us! I believe that the poling community is also of a like mind. We are all creative and emotional in many, many different ways. We see this community as a safe place to be social even if some struggle to be social in person. We all strive to better ourselves, physically in some way or another. We may fall into separate categories socially, mentally, ethnically, racially, etc but we have one thing in common..WE ALL ROCK!!
Dancing Paws · 10/16/2012
I am by no means a genius in either area, but people tell me u am talented in art, dance, and science. Within the last few years depression and anxiety has crept in periodically. I have a lot if really talented artistic types in my fam
Dancing Paws · 10/16/2012
I have a lot if talented artistic folks in my family, and they all seem to have some sort if mental disorder. Van Gogh was crazy. Edgar Allen pol was depressed. I know one of the great mathematicians (newton or Einstein) had a mental illness as well. I have seen that the really great minds are a little querky.
Saphyre · 10/16/2012
I guess I didn't really answer the question! All the creative people I know (myself included) have some sort of "emotional" issue and it ranges from sobbing easily to outright weirdness. On the other hand, I know plenty of non-creative, stoic, 'see the world in black and white' people that I think are messed up in other ways. It's just in how we view the world around us. C'est le vie!
darcit · 10/17/2012
That was an interesting article. I'm bipolar, as is my best friend and several other friends from college. I also have a bipolar cousin (it tends to run in famlies) and every one of us is highly creative. I'm an aritist and a dancer. My best friend is a writer, illustrator and lighting designer. My cousin (when she's well enough to work) is a graphic designer. The other friends run the gamut from costume designer to interior decorator. In my own personal experience I find that being bipolar can be extreamly helpful in much the manner that they illustrated in the article. For example: right now I'm working on a giant comissioned project with my art. It's the largest piece I've ever tackled by a factor of 10 and has a much tighter deadline than was really reasonable for me to take on. Reasonably it's a four month project and I'm having to have it done in a month and a half from inital design to install. I've found (I started figuring this out in college) that, when faced with this sort of thing, I can make myself manic and work much longer hours and much more intensely than I could if I wasn't manic. Working several days straight isn't out of the question. However the article didn't mention that there are mental and emotional repercussions for doing this sort of thing. If I'm not paying attention when I come down off the manic "high" of doing this project I will be much more prone to slipping into a severe depression. I know this now and can do things to aviod it - but it took quite a while to figure out.
chemgoddess1 · 10/17/2012
Einstein, DaVinci and Edison were all dyslexic.
Veena · 10/17/2012
This is an interesting topic!! Is there really a "normal" anyway? We are all so different it's hard to place people into group 1 or 2. Ya know? Maybe we should feel sorry for the "sane" people who to go through life never experiencing any of our "madness" that ultimately leads to creativity!!! 😲 I'm trying to learn to embraces my....let's call it "unique" outlook on life, instead of worry that something is wrong with me. It is unfortunate that these misuderstood minds tend end their creative lives.... https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/5036a453-63a8-4daf-bf9b-0dfc0ac37250
echo234 · 10/18/2012
"Normal" is a setting on your dryer!!!
Runemist34 · 10/18/2012
I find that, generally, "normal" refers to the idea that you can function in your day-to-day life without having any particular difficulties, brought on by your own psyche. So, for example, depression causes us to have motivational and perspective problems, making it difficult to funtion in daily life- some people who suffer with depression find it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. I find that psychology is a growing, learning kind of science. We don't always get things right (Good example: we used to say that homosexuality was a mental illness, and it was in the DSM. It is no longer considered an illness, and has been taken out of The Book), and sometimes, we are being told about a mental illness and think "wow, that sounds like me!" But, the distinction is that we can still function within our daily lives, and find our creative, physical outlets through, or for, these issues. As a writer, I'm a little sad to read that article- I know that many writers have killed themselves, suffered depression and anxiety... but I think a great many have also lived to have full, glorious lives, too! I know that I have suffered depression in the past, and I still deal with anxiety... but it's a process, I am learning to get rid of the anxiety. I also believe that our society, unfortunately, does not appreciate artistic people enough. In Greek times, creative arts were highly regarded, and you could even get grants- people chosen to sponsor a particular festival were greatly rewarded for doing so, and if they refused, were practically shunned from their society! However, if you look at schooling and news, we find that Science, Math and such are very highly regarded, and the Arts... really aren't. It's very unfortunate, and gives us a certain opinion of people who engage and, indeed, cannot STOP engaging in those arts. So... yes, all of us may identify to some extent with many of the diagnoses of mental illnesses... but, until it becomes detrimental to us, and gets in the way of our ability to live full and happy lives, I wouldn't consider it an "illness." More an interesting way of looking at the world, and some quirk to our personalities that make us who we are!
Pole Raven · 10/18/2012
I didn't read the article...but I did read everyone's posts. As a doc student in psychology, this is definitely an interesting post. I think the topic of this article brings the nature/nurture debate into question...which is really what most things, in terms of epidemiology, boil down to. As someone already mentioned, there is are biological and environmental triggers to all mental illnesses (and behaviors, and personality traits); some have more hereditary components but are may not be "activated" until something in the environment triggers it (e.g., a person may have a family history of schizophrenia but shows no signs of it...until, one day, the person encounters some trauma...then the person's coping and resiliency may be lowered and the predisposition to schizophrenia takes over...then the person starts exhibiting symptoms of schizophrenia). It is my personal belief that people are predisposed to behave in a certain way, but that behaviors and many facets of people can change based on the environment and environmental influences (e.g., families). Also, like Rune said, you aren't considered (at least by DSM and clinical standards) to have a mental illness as long as you can function in your day-to-day life. That is one criteria that all adult diagnoses have in the DSM...that the behavior or emotions must interfere with at least one aspect of the person's functioning (e.g., academic, work, social). So, to speak directly to the idea that creative people are more likely to have mental illnesses...not necessarily. However, in some psychological and developmental theories, we have a certain genetic predisposition to seek out certain environments, so if someone is generally creative, that person will likely seek out creative environments, thus reinforcing that they are creative people (almost circular in nature). Also, people who are creative tend to be more emotional (even PET scans of brains show more activation for these people in different areas of the brain)...further, many people with mental illnesses have emotional dysregulation...so if you consider these factors, it is not unlikely that someone who is more creative may be more disposed to developing a mental illness...however, it is also not causal. And, of course, engaging in artistic endeavors or behavioral activation (such as dancing, exercise) are coping mechanisms...so maybe, people who are creative are creative because they are using various outlets to help cope with their emotionality and ward of potential mental illness. Just some silly psychological hypothesizing. Anyways, this forum is super interesting to me and you all have some really great thoughts and points on the issue!
stoneycook · 10/23/2012
@Charley >> Post Reply To: Article: Are creatives more prone to mental illness? Well, directly from your article, it states: "As a group, those in the creative professions were no more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders than other people." However the depth that creative people are more intimately connected to their heartstrings, as compared to the general population at large, makes me believe that the outside world might very well, more easily attach such a misguided label to creative type folks.
SpyralBound · 10/24/2012
Piggybacking off the above... I think Creatives tend to be very in-touch with their emotions, because emotion often fuels creativity. Just think of how you dance when you're in a great mood, vs. a so-so mood, vs. all PMS-y and/or grumpy. So for Creatives, the impetus for action comes from the heart (so to speak). For non-Creatives, like engineer/scientist types, I think they're more in-tune with their intellect than with their emotions; the impetus for action comes from the head, not the heart. Which is of course not to say that engineers can't be creative (in fact, I'd say that solving engineering problems requires a lot of creativity - just not "artsy" creativity) or that Creatives aren't intellectual. My husband doesn't come across as a Creative right away, but his favorite hobby is homebrewing, which demands creativity (in creating and modifying recipes) as well as technical knowledge of the process. Back to my point, though...Going on the theory that Creatives are intimately connected to their emotional state, they're more sensitive to variations, dips and surges, in that emotional state. And without the proper tools to handle certain emotional extremes, I think in some cases, mental illness can develop out of them like an infection on an untreated wound. Unchecked sadness leads to depression, unchecked fear leads to anxiety/paranoia, unchecked anger leads to violent/aggressive mood swings. (Obviously this doesn't apply to all mental illnesses, there are plenty that don't arise from emotions but from deep-seated physiological or chemical influences.) As for famous "crazy" Creatives like Van Gogh or Poe, just remember there was a lot of substance abuse going on with them too. Poe, at least, was a drunk, and I think Van Gogh was no stranger at the neighborhood pubs either. Oscar Wilde was a terrific writer, an opium hound, and (for his time) a sexual deviant. So it sort of becomes a chicken-and-egg scenario: Did the substance abuse create the mental disorders? Did the mental disorders push the people to substance abuse? Did the substances bring out latent creativity? Did the creativity open the door for mental illness? Etc. I guess what it's most important to remember, though, is the golden rule of statistics: Correlation does not equal Causation. So while there may be a higher correlation between creativity and mental illness, that's not necessarily an indication that Creatives are naturally predisposed to developing mental illnesses.