Creative minds 'mimic schizophrenia'

[Abraxas]

This was an interesting article on how swedish scientists have found similarities in brain functions between creative people and people diagnosed with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Here's a good quote:

...

He looked at the brain's dopamine (D2) receptor genes which experts believe govern divergent thought.

He found highly creative people who did well on tests of divergent thought had a lower than expected density of D2 receptors in the thalamus - as do people with schizophrenia.

The thalamus serves as a relay centre, filtering information before it reaches areas of the cortex, which is responsible, amongst other things, for cognition and reasoning.

"Fewer D2 receptors in the thalamus probably means a lower degree of signal filtering, and thus a higher flow of information from the thalamus," said Professor Ullen.

...

Hopefully the most creative(schizophrenic) members of the forum(myself included), will find this article soothing. After all it's not schizophrenia, it's creativity, the former just follows the latter.

 

[walfin]

I certainly have some slight mental problems, and I am certainly very weird sometimes (overly mainstream/conventional at other times), but I don't think I am necessarily creative (at least, not always so).

Perhaps creativity is doing something useful with the weirdness. I'm quite sure a split personality, as long as consciously managed, is useful sometimes (doublethink is the most obvious example, but it's not the only one).

 

[RubberDucky451]

I saw that article a few weeks ago. My aunt was recently diagnosed schizophrenic so I found these quotes from the article interesting.

Similarly, people who have mental illness in their family have a higher chance of being creative.

Also

Schizophrenics share this same ability to make novel associations. But in schizophrenia, it results in bizarre and disturbing thoughts.

 

[snafupants]

Perhaps the systematic use of recreational drugs could initiate or enhance this effect and bring out creativity. When people posit that pot makes them more creative, maybe it is because it puts their cerebral cortex in a productive abeyance for a bit. That said, excessive stimulant intake would probably reinforce this filter.

 

[Kuu]

Nice, science gets closer to confirming what has been long claimed by popular knowledge: that there is a fine line between genius and madness.

Of course, we here already knew this from experience

 

[aracaris]

Schizophrenics share this same ability to make novel associations. But in schizophrenia, it results in bizarre and disturbing thoughts.

I'm pretty sure that many creative types, sane or not, have what would be considered bizarre, and even disturbing thoughts by a pretty good chunk of the population, making the line even more blurry perhaps. But those creative people whom haven't crossed the border into madness-ville (or if they have they didn't go too deep, or stay too long) have a better grasp on reality, and are better able to manage themselves, and their thoughts (I hope that makes sense), than people whom have really seriously lost it, despite their strange and/or disturbing thoughts.

 

[Silent_Rebel]

The article seemed to make creativity something negative. I believe myself to be a pretty creative person and I have, according to schizophrenia.com, 5 of the 8 negative symptoms. I have been known to get depressed sometimes but it isn't "normal" depression. My thoughts just have a constant theme of "people suck" and I almost get on this high of realization. I am almost happier when I think like this, and I tend to draw much more and draw much better. It is contradictory.

 

[hope]

Semi-relevant: There was a study done of birth season and chess ability using the European Chess Federation Database and the birth records of Europeans in-general. They found a correlation between being born in February and March and being good at Chess (master or better) or being schizophrenic. It's called Season of Birth and Chess Expertise.

I guess these studies support each other if one assumes that good chess players are creative.

more relevant: I found it interesting the article mentioned a "continuum" between creativity and schizophrenia. The creative people of our society are almost the same as the ones that become schizophrenics brain-wise. The difference between them is caused by the environment they grew up in, their cognitive abilities(independent of creativity), and to some extent their brain's filtering abilities-- there is a degree of bad filtering. But this is purely speculative.

 

[Anthile]

Nice, science gets closer to confirming what has been long claimed by popular knowledge: that there is a fine line between genius and madness.

Of course, we here already knew this from experience

No, you are wrong. There is no fine line. There is only madness and some people get acknowledged for it.

 

[RubberDucky451]

I'm pretty sure that many creative types, sane or not, have what would be considered bizarre, and even disturbing thoughts by a pretty good chunk of the population, making the line even more blurry perhaps. But those creative people whom haven't crossed the border into madness-ville (or if they have they didn't go too deep, or stay too long) have a better grasp on reality, and are better able to manage themselves, and their thoughts (I hope that makes sense), than people whom have really seriously lost it, despite their strange and/or disturbing thoughts.

Yes, It makes sense.

It probably also has to do with what they did with those certain disturbing thoughts or experiences. Being to explain or express your self through your work could be considered therapeutic, or a great relief that certain emotions can be projected on a canvas.

 

[Ungomma]

The article has a biological basis, but I don't like where this thread of though goes. Schizophrenia is just not fun - just read the descriptions of their delusions & hallucinations the afflicted post at mental illness forums.

I had a [semi/pre]-psychotic state once and this were the scariest two weeks of my life. "I've seen such... things". It was a very educational experience.