Creativity And Mood Disorders

Running Head: CREATIVITY AND MOOD DISORDERS

Creativity and Mood Disorders

Abstract

The link between "madness" and creativity is explored. In particular, unipolar disorder and bipolar disorder are discussed. The article Manic Depressive Illness and Creativity by Kay Redfield Jamison is used to reference the link between both unipolar disorder and bipolar disorder and creativity.

Creativity and Mood Disorders

More than two thousand years ago, the great philosopher Aristotle proclaimed, "No great genius has ever been without some divine madness." History has long painted the idea that mental turmoil and creativity go hand in hand. There are many examples of great artists, musicians, poets and novelists who exhibit the classic signs of major mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder. Poets and novelists who wrote about their "savage moods," include: William Blake, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Berryman, Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, Ernest Hemingway, and Virginia Woolf. Artists, who were thought to have painted the picture of insanity included: Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Josephson, Georgia O'Keefe, Max Ernest, Jackson Pollock, Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Gaugin, Edvard Munch, Michelangelo, and Mark Rothko.

The sheer number of creative geniuses plagued with "madness" seems to indicate that the mind that holds great creative promise may also suffer from great mental anguish. The article Manic Depressive Illness and Creativity by Kay Redfield Jamison illustrates this point. In the article Jamison tries to show a link between unipolar disorder, bipolar disorder and creativity. As evidence, Jamison points to several prominent artists who experienced some degree of "madness" or irrational thought. His research has found that artists and writers are eight to ten times more likely to exhibit signs of major depression and ten to twenty times more likely to exhibit signs of bipolar disorder than the general public (Jamison, 1997).

How does one define madness? According to Jamison creative madness exhibits itself in bipolar disorder and major depression. Major depression is defined as a serious disorder marked by sadness, fatigue, changes in sleep patterns, difficulty thinking and concentrating, changes in appetite, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts (ehealth, 2007). Bipolar disorder is defined as mood disorder characterized by the alternation of manic and depressive states (ehealth, 2007). During manic states bipolar patients exhibit elevated self-esteem, a decrease in sleep, and an increase in productivity. During depressive states bipolar patients hopelessness, lethargy, impaired memory and concentration and a loss of pleasure (Jamison, 1997).

However, madness has not always been defined in this way. Mental illness has always been present in one form or another. In prehistoric times, many attributed mental illness to violation of a taboo, neglect of ritual obligations and demonic possessions (Mora, 1985). A Shaman supervised the treatment of mental illness. Shaman used substances to create the increased state of excitement, partial loss of consciousness, and reveals the presence of spirit through utterances and violent actions (Mora, 1985). The first theory to propose a biological cause of mental illness was introduced by the Greek philosopher Hippocratice. He believed in a biological cause of mental illness and conceptualized "madness" as the interaction of the four bodily humors (Mora, 1985). Hippocratice's theory is the beginning of a somatic cause of mental illness. His theory helped to foster in our traditional views of psychology.

It seems clear that there is a link between creativity and mania. Exactly what is the cause of this link is subject to debate. Is it possible that the qualities that are found in great artists are also qualities that lead to mood disorders? Or does lifestyle of an artist help to foster diseases of the mind?

First, let us examine the qualities of great artists. Any attempt to define what it means to be an artist is bound to be challenging and problematic. To come to a definitive definition of such a broad and ever-changing topic seems almost impossible. There are countless different types of artists with different outlets for expression. However, it seems that there must some common characteristics which all artists possess. One study which sought to find personality characteristics of artists found that most are emotional, sensitive, independent, impulsive, socially aloof, introverted, and nonconforming (Abuhamdeh, 2004). The same study also found that during especially creative times, artists often experience an increase in energy and a vamped up thought process.

The characteristics that produce great artists are strikingly similar to the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Patients who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder alternate between states of mania and states of depression. During manic states, people often experience an excessively high or euphoric mood, racing thoughts or jumping from one idea to the other, unrealistic thoughts about ones abilities or powers, poor judgment, and substance abuse (NIMH, 2001). During states of depression, people often exhibit feelings of hopelessness or pessimism, loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed, including sex, lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood and thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide