Famous Bipolar People! Is Bipolar Disorder Associated with Creativity?

If you look back in history you can find a large list of famous bipolar people. These are people renowned for their creativity who suffered from bipolar disorder. As you may already know, bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition characterized by alternating period of mania and depression. During a manic phase, a bipolar sufferer may experience enormous amounts of energy and exhibit a variety of impulsive behaviors. They may also manifest unusual ideas and creative thought patterns which may explain the correlation of creativity with bipolar disorder.

Adding to the evidence that bipolar disorder and creativity are associated is a study done at Stanford University School of Medicine which showed that children who are at high risk for bipolar disorder scored higher on an index of creativity than did children with average risk for the disorder. Other studies have shown that people who work in creative fields such as art and writing have up to 3 times the incidence of mood disorders and suicide, suggesting a link between creativity and mood disorders in general. It's likely research will continue to explore this intriguing correlation between mood and creativity levels.

Let's consider some of many famous people bipolar people throughout history. Certainly one wouldn't be surprised to learn that Vincent Van Gogh who was known for his mood swings may have suffered from bipolar disorder. Remember his painting Starry Night? It's thought this painting may have been created during a depressive phase of his bipolar disorder. Would it surprise you to learn these creative minds were thought to have had bipolar tendencies? These include Michelangelo, Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, William Faulkner, F.Scott Fitzgerald, and Jimi Hendrix? Certainly these individuals all made creative contributions to society.