Strong creative inspiration might be associated with bipolar disorder risk, a latest research shows.
Researchers at Yale University and Lancaster University stated that several artists, musicians, poets and writers have been known to exhibit mania and depression in search of creative inspiration. But those same experiences can also be symptoms of bipolar disorder and other mental problems.
"It appears that the types of inspiration most related to bipolar vulnerability are those which are self-generated and linked with strong drive for success," Professor Steven Jones, co-director of Lancaster University's Spectrum Center, said in a press release.
"Understanding more about inspiration is important because it is a key aspect of creativity which is highly associated with mental health problems, in particular bipolar disorder," Jones added.
For the study Jones and his research team surveyed 835 undergraduate students from both the universities. They were told to complete online questionnaires. The first questionnaire measured their bipolar risk using a widely-used and well-validated 48-item measure which captures episodic shifts in emotion, behavior and energy called The Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS).
The second questionnaire was designed to understand the participants' thoughts about inspiration, and where it came from- within or from the outside environment. This assessment was called the EISI (External and Internal Sources of Inspiration) measure.
The study findings revealed that students who scored more for bipolar risk consistently got more than others for inspiration levels and inspiration that they thought came from within.
"People with bipolar disorder highly value creativity as a positive aspect of their condition," said Jones. "This is relevant to clinicians, as people with bipolar disorder may be unwilling to engage with treatments and therapies which compromise their creativity."
The study is published in the latest issue of PLOS One.
