Andreasen Nancy C
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Health Care, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1057, USA.
Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2008;10(2):251-5. doi: 10.31887/DCNS.2008.10.2/ncandreasen.
Research designed to examine the relationship between creativity and mental illnesses must confront multiple challenges. What is the optimal sample to study? How should creativity be defined? What is the most appropriate comparison group? Only a limited number of studies have examined highly creative individuals using personal interviews and a noncreative comparison group. The majority of these have examined writers. The preponderance of the evidence suggests that in these creative individuals the rate of mood disorder is high, and that both bipolar disorder and unipolar depression are quite common. Clinicians who treat creative individuals with mood disorders must also confront a variety of challenges, including the fear that treatment may diminish creativity. In the case of bipolar disorder, however, it is likely that reducing severe manic episodes may actually enhance creativity in many individuals.
旨在研究创造力与精神疾病之间关系的研究必须面对多重挑战。研究的最佳样本是什么？创造力应如何定义？最合适的对照组是什么？只有少数研究通过个人访谈和非创造性对照组对高创造力个体进行了研究。其中大多数研究的是作家。大量证据表明，在这些有创造力的个体中，情绪障碍的发生率很高，双相情感障碍和单相抑郁症都相当常见。治疗患有情绪障碍的有创造力个体的临床医生也必须面对各种挑战，包括担心治疗可能会降低创造力。然而，就双相情感障碍而言，减少严重的躁狂发作实际上可能会提高许多个体的创造力。
