IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN DEPRESSION AND CREATIVITY?

   

     There is a common idea which asserts that depression or mental illnesses is linked to creativity. In fact, some people think that mental distress is an almost inevitable part of being highly creative. On the other hand, most of the studies have shown that there isn't a direct link between depression and creativity. The reason for the acceptance  of this idea by many people might be correlated with some well-known artists with depression such as Vincent  Van Gogh, Virginia Woolf or Michelangelo.

     Some of the psychologists have accepted this idea because of the discernible effects of depression on creative people. According to them, depression brings along some features which can cause one to be creative. The first piece of evidence that causes people to link creativity with depression which is accepted by psychologists is neurotic thinking, which is a prominent characteristic of depression. Neurotic thinking can be focusing on negative thoughts or feelings and constantly ruminating on things past. Rumination means focusing on a problem for longer than most people would and as a result of focusing on negative thoughts and ruminating, neurotic people are

highly anxious. That is to say, they literally imagine the worst. This penchant for dramatic imaginings might help creative people to imagine solutions most people wouldn't. The second argument which suggests this idea is depressed people contemplate more than other individuals. For creative people, the feeling of anxiety and depression lasts longer than usual because they don't want to let go of any problem before they figure out a meaningful conclusion. The last argument evaluates depression as a motive. For creative people, depression amplifies motivation to do better. The reason is depressed people arent satisifed easily like others. Consequently, they force themselves harder to do things better, and this pushes them to find different, in other words ‘creative’ solutions.

   Most of the studies, which  search for a link between creativity and depression have shown that there is not a direct link between them. One study from the office of National Statistics showed that people who work in arts-related jobs were up to four times more likely to commit suicide.

Therewithal, another study from 2013, found that most of the authors have deal with the increased likelihood of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, unipolar depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and suicide. But many psychologists are skeptical about the proposed link. They explain this situation with social rejection. Creative people have more tendency to be rejected by society. The reason is about the nature of human behaviors; We prefer to be with people who have similar ideas, world views and opinions to ours. But creative people usually think differently and have dissimilar ideas from ours. As a result of this rejection, they become lonely. Feeling lonely and isolated may bring depression but it is not a prerequisite for being creative.

    Although psychiatrists and psychologists didn't show the accurate link between depression and creativity, other mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia have a  connection with creativity. In one of the studies in 2015, researchers analyzed the DNA of more than 86,000 people to look for genes that increase the risks of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. They also noted that these individuals’ work was related to creative fields such as acting, music, writing and, dancing.Moreover, they found that creative persons are up to 25 percent more likely than non- creative people to carry genes that are associated with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Having said that, it doesn't mean all people with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia are creative, and not all creative people have bipolar disorder. However, there is a noticeable link between the genes that lead to bipolar disorder and a person’s creativity.

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