Bipolar disorder: The Correlation to Creativity

This week I stumbled into theories that bipolar disorder is closely related to creativity -- many artists, actors, musicians, composers, poets, and writers have been associated with the disorder. This, in turn sparked my interest, and turned up some interesting research.

Some of these famous artsits, across various time periods, include:

• Tchaicovsky, composer
• Rachmaninoff, composer
• Robert Schumann, composer 
• Sylvia Plath, poet
• Handel, composer
• Virginia Woolf, poet
• Dickens, writer 
• Van Gogh, painter
• Catherine Zeta Jones, actress
• Robin Williams, actor\commedian
• Tim Burton, producer
• Jimi Hendrix, musician
• Edgar Allen Poe, poet 
• Kurt Cobain, musician
• Robert Downey Jr., actor 
• Pete Wentz, musician
• Mel Gibson, actor\director

(Note: because some of these people did not live in our modern day world, we can only theorize that they had bipolar disorder from their writings, music, diaries, etc.) 

Is this a coincidence? Is it that bipolar disorder causes creativity or that creativity causes bipolar disorder?  Research points to the first -- that bipolar disorder sparks creativity. An article documenting research on the subject, funded by the scientific board for the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research, states,  "Several studies suggest that people with bipolar disorder believe that their positive moods and manic symptoms can enhance creativity....In a study of 47 accomplished writers and artists, 89% described intense creative productivity during periods of high mood and energy (Jamison, 1989)" (Johnson et al). 

The mania or highs of bipolar disorder seem to be what causes productivity and creativity. However, research is still unclear about the exact correlations to creativity. What's certain is that there is one. The rate of bipolar disorder is higher among musicians\other artists than the general population. Also noteable is the fact that the most creative among bipolar are those with milder symptoms rather than full blown mania and\or depression.  

As a musician myself, my response to this is not too surprised -- You quickly learn, especially being surrounded by other musicians, that everyone is crazy. (You also learn just as fast that it's not a bad thing -- everybody connects with one another easily, and you have some fabulous times.) Emotional adversity, in the form of mental disorders, seems to make more passionate people who are able to express emotion through various art forms. It makes sense, then, that bipolar disorder is connected to creativity -- there is a broad range of emotions associated with bipolar disorder. 

Reading up on this subject brings up another interesting look into the arts field, however. I have heard vague theories about the correlation to bipolar disorder and creativity before, but to actually see the statistics proves it's not just a coincidence.


Works Cited:
"List of People With Bipolar Disorder" Wikipedia. Wikimedia foundation. 9 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
Sheri L. Johnson et. al. "Creativity and bipolar disorder: touched by fire or burning with questions?" Clinical Psychology Review. 32.1 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.