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The Creative Mind:

Genius or Insanity

By Kimberly SweetPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 4 min read
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Creativity's spark ignites on a fine line between genius and madness!

The Creative Mind: Genius or Madness

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Creativity...the spark that ignites the fires of passion and fuels the burning desire that drives one's need for self-expression. But, what underlying factors produce that spark? Is creativity the genius of illuminated moments of clarity, or is it brief interludes into madness?

Creativity...the spark that ignites the fires of passion and fuels the burning desire that drives one's need for self-expression. But, what underlying factors produce that spark? Is creativity the genius of illuminated moments of clarity, or is it brief interludes into madness?

The supporting evidence that links creativity to mental illness is staggering. Numerous studies have shown physiological, psychological, and genetic correlations between the creative mind and various mental disorders. Some of the most common disorders linked to creativity are depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, savant's, and autism.

For example, in "Creativity, Evolution, and Mental Illness," journalists Antonio Preti and Paulo Miotto discuss the characteristics of bipolar disorder as being relative to creativity because of the extreme mood swings, emotional reactivity, and acute sensitivity of individuals with bipolar disorder (3). They go on to say that studies have shown that creatively gifted people are more prone to mental illness than the average person. Poets and writers seem to be more at risk for developing depression. It seems that [to write] one must experience the darker side of life (Preti and Miotto 2-4).

However, not only poets and writers are prone to mental illness. In "Dealing with the Black Dog of Depression," Rudy Nadler-Nir points out that famous people such as Alexander the Great, Drew Barrymore, Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh, Winston Churchill, and Charles Darwin all suffered from varying degrees of mental illness.. Winston Churchill referred openly to his depression as his "black dog" (qtd. in Nadler-Nir). At the age of 28, Charles Darwin developed panic disorder and went into seclusion which is when he developed his theory of evolution (Myers 650). Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song "Basket Case" about his struggles with anxiety disorder (Myers 648). Vincent Van Gogh saw the world through psychotic distortion which shows in the wavy, fluid movement of his paintings. He later checked himself into a mental hospital where the infamous [cutting off his ear] took place, which he then mailed to his friend. You have to admit, that was pretty creative!

As David G. Myers states in Psychology: Eighth Edition, throughout history there have been "many creative artists, composers, and writers with bipolar disorder..." (660). In some cases the manic phase can be a limitless source of ideas and inspiration. The high energy levels, lack of inhibitions, un-tethered optimism, and random thinking can ignite that elusive spark and release an inferno of creative energy (660).

Subsequently, even serious disorders have shed some light on the relationship between creativity and mental illness. Studies on schizophrenia have assessed the role of gate systems in regulating information processing, establishing a connection between the disorder and the creative process. Schizophrenia and creativity induce similar perceptions, emotions, and associations (Preti and Miotto 5). Schizophrenia is characterized by disorganized thinking, random associations, and delusions due to a malfunction in the gate systems that allows stimuli to flow into the brain unfiltered. Creative individuals process this increased input of stimuli into higher levels of association in the form of remote ideas, colorful analogies, and eccentric behaviors. "The image of madness linked to genius has been repeatedly expressed in the history of the western world" (Petri and Miotto 6).

However, some of the most intriguing examples of creative abilities associated with mental illness have been reported in cases of Savant's Syndrome. Little is known about Savant's Syndrome except that it is seen in patients with autism, brain damage, and mental retardation. New technology suggests that it is linked to left hemisphere damage. Many of savants extraordinary capabilities are analyzed in "Islands OF GENIUS." The article raises questions about the hidden potential in all of us. (Treffert 14-23). Researchers are "seeking to unlock...the 'little Rain Man in each of us'" (qtd. in Treffert 21).

In conclusion, my own battle with bipolar disorder has given me profound insight into creative madness and mad creativity. Being an artist, writer, and poet, some of my best work has been produced during manic phases. I've been to the edge of the abyss and looked into the darkness. It was there that I found that spark. Perhaps that is why I've always been fascinated by Edgar Alan Poe. I've read all of his works, seen all of the movie versions, and read several pieces about his life. His sense of the macabre inspired me to explore my own journeys into madness as a source of creativity. Over the years, one of Poe's most famous quotes has served as a rather demented source of comfort, illuminating the darkness of mania: "I became insane with long intervals of horrible insanity."--Edgar Allan

REFERENCES: Myers,David G. Psychology: Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2007.

REFERENCES: Myers,David G. Psychology: Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2007.

REFERENCES: Myers,David G. Psychology: Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2007.

REFERENCES: Myers,David G. Psychology: Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2007.

REFERENCES: Myers,David G. Psychology: Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2007.

Myers,David G. Psychology: Eighth Edition. New York: Worth, 2007.

Nadlir-Nir, Rudy. "Dealing with the Black Dog of Depression." ToingToing. 12 Feb. 2008.

7 July 2008. <http://www.toingtoing.com/?p=60>.

Petri, Antonio, Paulo Miotto. "Creativity, Evolution, and Mental Illness." Journal of Memetics 1 (1997): 1-7. 8 July 2008. <http://www.cogprints.org/2009/1/

preti-a%26miotto-p.html#references>.

Treffert, Darold A., et.al. "Islands OF GENIUS." Scientific American Special Edition 14.1.(2 Jan. 2004): 14-23. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. EBSCOhost. Henderson Community Coll. Lib., Henderson, KY. 8 July 2008 <http://

search.ebscohost.ckom/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pbh&AN=12545978&site=ehost-live>.

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About the Creator

Kimberly Sweet

I'm a freelance writer and artist from Kentucky. I discovered Poe when I was very young and fell in love. The magic in words bewitched me, and I've been writing ever since.

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