It is well-known that most of the creative geniuses that we look up to today have been suffering from some form of mental illness which has led some to star debating whether or not there is a link between being creative and mental health. Today we will be talking about a study that was just published in The British Journal of Psychiatry which states that creative people are more likely to start developing mental health disorders than the rest of the population.
More details about this study
This study decided to take its research data from health records coming from Sweden which allowed it to have the health records of almost 4 and a half million people. Researchers looked at one essential factor: whether any of these people were talented, if they ever took theatre or music classes during their lives or if they were passionate about something related to art.
They found out that those who were more inclined towards the arts were 90 percent more likely to develop bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or even depression, with most hospitalization taking place at some point during their 30s. Researchers ruled out getting a degree as the cause since people seeking degrees in other fields were not as likely to have mental health issues.
How can this connection be explained?
Well, in a nutshell, creativity is the process that deals with creating links between different ides which other people would be unable to do and in a way that is similar to delusional behavior so maybe that can be a trigger point. However, this does not mean that if you are creative you will develop schizophrenia. While there is a link between the two, the number of people that have this mental health illness is still rather small so you are likely safe and do not need to worry about it.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.