Impact of Mental Illness on Creativity in Visual Art

Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2007

This article presents a psychological study of the “successful creative artist” and the relationship between art and mental disturbance. To elaborate, this article emphasizes what the author considers to be “natural” (i.e., self-motivated) creative self-expression in comparison to “normal” (i.e., socially approved) patterns of behavior. Although what is natural may overlap with what is considered normal in society, rarely are the two placed on equal footing. To illustrate this problem, the author introduces a new theory, “the artistic theory of psychology,” that casts a new light on the “successful” creative artist. Along the lines of Thomas Szasz and R. D. Laing, that which is referred to as “mental illness” is viewed from a nonjudgmental perspective but with the distinctive feature of suggesting that some people who are considered to be mentally ill may have significant creative artistic potential that can be highly therapeutic, both for them and for society at large.

This essay will orbit around the argument that an artist’s creativity level is enhanced if he/ she has a mood disorder. It will talk about what mood disorders are, their prevalence in individuals, particularly in artists; and the definition of creativity will be discussed. It will also look into the history of famous artists who were mentally ill, such as Van Gogh and Munch and what it meant when they were labelled as “mad geniuses”. Empirical psychological studies will be examined discussing whether there is a link between mood disorders and creativity, if that link is strong or weak, or if there isn’t any link at all and the conclusion will be made using the information. Information is taken from books, published studies, journals, websites, reports, and articles.

psychopathology are further operationalized and if underlying art concepts are made explicit and placed in a broader cultural context. There is a continuing need for meaningful definitions and measures, as well as a multidisciplinary collaboration .

Psychiatria polska

In this paper, a concept has been presented stating that the process of creativity may be connected with psychopathological features such as mood disorders, mainly bipolar, and psychosis-like thought abnormalities. Biographic studies point to a more frequent occurrence of affective disorders in creative subjects and members of their families. There is also data concerning the occurrence of schizophrenia in the families of prominent persons. A number of studies have demonstrated a similarity of patients with bipolar affective illness and members of their families to creative persons, as to increased indexes of creativity as well as such temperamental features as cyclothymia, neuroticism and openness. An association has been also found between the dimension of"psychoticism", schizotypal features and the measures of creativity. A reduction of the so called "latent inhibition" mechanism, resulting in perception of seemingly irrelevant external stimuli is connected wi...

Creativity Research Journal, 2001

In this article, I consider the relation between creativity and the schizophrenia spectrum of personality and mental disorders in the light of differing notions of creativity and the creative process. Prevailing conceptions of creativity in psychology and psychiatry derive from romanticist ideas about the creative imagination; they differ considerably from notions central in modernism and postmodernism. Whereas romanticism views creative inspiration as a highly emotional, Dionysian, or primitive state, modernism and postmodernism emphasize processes involving hyper-self-consciousness and alienation (hyperreflexivity). Although manic-depressive or cyclothymic tendencies seem especially suited to creativity of the romantic sort, schizoid, schizotypal, schizophreniform, and schizophrenic tendencies have more in common with the (in many respects, antiromantic) sensibilities of modernism and postmodernism. I criticize a book by psychologist Jamison (1993), Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, for treating romantic notions of creativity as if they defined creativity in general. I also argue that Jamison's denial or neglect of the creative potential of persons in the schizophrenia spectrum relies on certain diagnostic oversimplifications: an overly broad conception of affective illness and an excessively narrow conception of schizophrenia that ignores the creative potential of the schizophrenia spectrum.

According to Freud's theory, the origin of creativity refers to the conflicts of unconscious mind. Psychologists, who came after Freud, reduced the effects of primary processes; moreover, explained that the origin of creativity refers to subconscious mind. Several principal studies performed in the era preceding the systematic ordering of the recent classification (DSM IV-TR and ICD 10) show among creative and famous individuals, a prevalence of severe mental disorders, significantly higher than among the general population. Even, recently, psychiatrist Szabolcs Kéri focused on a gene (neuregulin 1) that normally plays a role in a variety of brain processes and has a clear link with creativity. However, a variant of this gene (or genotype) is associated with a greater risk of developing mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The goal of this research was to study the link between creativity and mental disorders among the undergraduate students of universities in Tehran. In this research, the subjects were 180 students of the universities in Tehran. Selection was in cluster manner, random sampling. The following instruments were used: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and Abedi's creativity test. Two groups of variables were tested. Eight clinical criteria of mental disorders of MMPI and four criteria of creativity .Research design were quasi -experimental, field correlation type study. Statistical tests were correlation test and regression analysis. The results showed that there were negative and significant relations between depression and creativity, and between psychasthenia (Pt) and creativity (p< 0.01). The best predictors of creativity were Pt and schizophrenia (Sc) criteria which Pt had negative coefficient and Sc had positive. It seemed that when these personality factors such as: self -confidence, relaxation, sense of security and normal approach to life come along with the tendency toward schizophrenia, person's creativity is increased.

Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Health Humanities, 2023

There is an ‘art and health’ paradox in the literature on the schizophrenic spectrum, since features of the schizophrenic spectrum have been argued to facilitate artistic creativity (e.g., by enabling novel perspectives, images or insights), suggesting that artistic creativity is or can be a product of ‘mental illness’ (Richards, 2001); yet, artistic creativity has been described as therapeutic and facilitating recovery from schizophrenia (Lynch, Holttum & Huet, 2019). The paradox that ‘mental illness’ both ‘causes’ creativity and is ‘cured’ by creativity is in part due to oversimplification of both constructs (‘artistic creativity’ and ‘schizophrenic spectrum’). For example, conflating the many contexts, forms and uses of artistic creativity, making assumptions of causality (and linear relationships), and not considering other contributing factors (e.g., protective and risk factors) (Holt, 2020; Kaufman & Sexton, 2006). In this chapter the evidence for both sides of the paradox will be considered. Firstly, to help unravel complexities, the constructs of schizophrenia and the schizophrenic spectrum will be described.

In this piece, I will look at the frequently intersecting history of creativity and mental illness, examine the neurological links between mental illnesses and notable creative output, examine current creative expression therapy practices, and soundly reason that this makes creative expression therapy a worthy addition to the established and developing therapy programs of the mildly mentally ill. In the United States alone, people with a variety of notable mental illnesses comprise a staggering 18.6% of the adult population (NIMH, 2012). Far too often we consider traditional talk therapy and pharmacology as the only or most considerably necessary treatment modes. Prior research clearly shows a positive correlation between people who demonstrated particular mental illness traits and the more effective creative works of history. Using creative expression therapy to reroute a patient’s symptoms into productive art works, music, drama, and/or dance can also help to lift the prevailing stigmas which loom over the mentally ill in the minds of the general population, or simply help the patient to effectively cope with the illness. By encouraging these works to be developed and created and creating partnerships with local art and creative expression venues, a patient’s mental illness disability becomes a creative ability. This can both push back against stigma and empower the patient. I feel that, after thoroughly examining the evidence and research available and considering the benefits against the potential drawbacks, adapting this potential advantage into therapies to be incorporated into an overall treatment plan would be greatly beneficial to the patient.

Frontiers in Psychology, 2015

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 1997

DID do not have it, and a surprising number have no diagnosis, I think that before a long, costly therapy is initiated, an SCID-D is an absolute requirement. It carries with it a κ of 0.92 and interrater reliability of 96% (6), ironically high for such a controversial diagnosis. And then there are the words, which I cannot seem to forget, of a Texas lawyer who makes his living suing people like me. He was speaking to 300 of us learning about how not to get sued. "Could you kindly explain to these 12 good Texans," he rhetorically drawled, "exactly why you did not use the SCID-D to establish the diagnosis, since it is the gold standard, isn't it?" (7). References