Having a Creative Spirit and a Mental Illness
The link between creativity and mental illness has been widely discussed and studied for centuries. Parallels can be drawn which connect mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorder, ADHD and major depressive disorder, to creativity.
History
The association between creativity and mental illness first materialized in the 1970s. However, Aristotle is said to be the first one to propose a link between “madness” and “genius.”
The Ancient Greeks believed that there were many types of geniuses, such as: creative geniuses, literary geniuses, scholarly geniuses and all around geniuses. Due to the existence of many categories, the Greeks acknowledged the possibility of excelling in one subject while being average in others.
To the Greeks, creativity came from Muses, the nine daughters of Zeus who personified the arts and sciences. Conversely, Aristotelian tradition believed that genius should be viewed from a physiological standpoint and that “genius” encompassed both extraordinary achievement as well as melancholy.
English poet Lord Byron had a similar idea.
"We of the craft are all crazy. Some are affected by gaiety, others by melancholy, but all are more or less touched.” — Lord Byron
The Reality of Mental Illness
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 U.S. adults suffer from a mental illness. That’s roughly 19.1% of the population.
Suicide in the United States has risen by 31% since 2001. In fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death of people between the ages of 10 and 34 in the U.S. Additionally, suicide is the country’s 10th leading cause of death.
Worldwide, depression and anxiety disorders are said to have cost the global economy $1 trillion each year in lost productivity.
According to NAMI, depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
Artists and Mental Illness
A 2012 study found that bipolar disorder is more common in artistic individuals, such as authors, photographers and dancers. Authors were found more likely to face other mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and substance abuse. It was also found that writers were 50 percent more likely to commit suicide.
Many renowned artists are known for having suffered from mental disorders:
- Vincent van Gogh
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Anne Sexton
- Edvard Munch
- David Foster Wallace
Illustrated Mental Illnesses
Three years ago, artist Shawn Coss decided to ditch the traditional Inktober prompts and illustrate his mental illness which can be found below.
- Social Anxiety Disorder
2. Major Depressive Disorder
3. Insomnia
4. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
5. Bipolar Disorder
6. Borderline Personality Disorder
7. Autism Spectrum Disorder
8. Paranoid Schizophrenia
9. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
10. Dependant Personality Disorder (DPD)
11. Anorexia Nervosa
12. Depersonalization Disorder
13. Agoraphobia
14. Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)
15. Schizophrenia
The rest of his project can be found here.
