ABSTRACT
Divided into four parts (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders), this chapter explores the observed associations between mental illness and creative traits. Rather than looking to establish a causal relationship, it asks which psychiatric symptoms impede creative achievement, which facilitate it, and which are exacerbated by extraneous factors in creative people’s lives, such as occupational stress. With an emphasis on reinforcing creativity-sensitive treatment, this chapter considers relevant research findings regarding the overall relationship between creativity and psychiatric disorders and demonstrates the need for clinicians to consider clients’ creative needs and potential. The sections on suggested interventions recommend ways to optimize psychological functioning without jeopardizing the cognitive and affective features (such as racing thoughts, divergent thinking, and emotional intensity) associated with high creativity.
