BACKGROUND: There is a long-standing belief that creativity is coupled with psychopathology. AIMS: To test this alleged association and to investigate whether any such association is the result of environmental or genetic factors. METHOD: We performed a nested case-control study based on Swedish registries. The likelihood of holding a creative occupation in individuals who had received in-patient treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or unipolar depression between 1973 and 2003 and their relatives without such a diagnosis was compared with that of controls. RESULTS: Individuals with bipolar disorder and healthy siblings of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were overrepresented in creative professions. People with schizophrenia had no increased rate of overall creative professions compared with controls, but an increased rate in the subgroup of artistic occupations. Neither individuals with unipolar depression nor their siblings differed from controls regarding creative professions. CONCLUSIONS: A familial cosegregation of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with creativity is suggested.
BACKGROUND: There is a long-standing belief that creativity is coupled with psychopathology. AIMS: To test this alleged association and to investigate whether any such association is the result of environmental or genetic factors. METHOD: We performed a nested case-control study based on Swedish registries. The likelihood of holding a creative occupation in individuals who had received in-patient treatment for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or unipolar depression between 1973 and 2003 and their relatives without such a diagnosis was compared with that of controls. RESULTS: Individuals with bipolar disorder and healthy siblings of people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were overrepresented in creative professions. People with schizophrenia had no increased rate of overall creative professions compared with controls, but an increased rate in the subgroup of artistic occupations. Neither individuals with unipolar depression nor their siblings differed from controls regarding creative professions. CONCLUSIONS: A familial cosegregation of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with creativity is suggested.
Authors: Robert A Power; Stacy Steinberg; Gyda Bjornsdottir; Cornelius A Rietveld; Abdel Abdellaoui; Michel M Nivard; Magnus Johannesson; Tessel E Galesloot; Jouke J Hottenga; Gonneke Willemsen; David Cesarini; Daniel J Benjamin; Patrik K E Magnusson; Fredrik Ullén; Henning Tiemeier; Albert Hofman; Frank J A van Rooij; G Bragi Walters; Engilbert Sigurdsson; Thorgeir E Thorgeirsson; Andres Ingason; Agnar Helgason; Augustine Kong; Lambertus A Kiemeney; Philipp Koellinger; Dorret I Boomsma; Daniel Gudbjartsson; Hreinn Stefansson; Kari Stefansson Journal: Nat Neurosci Date: 2015-06-08 Impact factor: 24.884
Authors: Brandon Abbs; Rashmin M Achalia; Adegoke O Adelufosi; Ahmet Yiğit Aktener; Natalie J Beveridge; Savita G Bhakta; Rachael K Blackman; Emre Bora; M S Byun; Maurice Cabanis; Ricardo Carrion; Christina A Castellani; Tze Jen Chow; M Dmitrzak-Weglarz; Charlotte Gayer-Anderson; Felipe V Gomes; Kristen Haut; Hiroaki Hori; Joshua T Kantrowitz; Taishiro Kishimoto; Frankie H F Lee; Ashleigh Lin; Lena Palaniyappan; Meina Quan; Maria D Rubio; Sonia Ruiz de Azúa; Saddichha Sahoo; Gregory P Strauss; Aleksandra Szczepankiewicz; Andrew D Thompson; Antonella Trotta; Laura M Tully; Hiroyuki Uchida; Eva Velthorst; Jared W Young; Anne O'Shea; Lynn E Delisi Journal: Schizophr Res Date: 2012-08-19 Impact factor: 4.939