Waddell C
Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
Can J Psychiatry. 1998 Mar;43(2):166-72. doi: 10.1177/070674379804300206.
To critically assess the scientific evidence for associating creativity with mental illness.
MEDLINE and secondary literature searches identified 29 studies and 34 review articles on creativity and mental illness. All studies were critically evaluated. Reviews were also assessed.
Of 29 studies that evaluated possible associations between creativity and mental illness, 15 found no evidence to link creativity and mental illness, 9 found positive evidence, and 5 had unclear findings. Most studies used flawed methodologies with weak (case series or case control) designs. There were no randomized or prospective cohort studies. Adequate criteria for determining causal association were not met. In 34 selective reviews, despite mixed evidence, many authors asserted that creativity and mental illness were positively or causally associated.
There is limited scientific evidence to associate creativity with mental illness. Despite this, many authors promoted a connection. Explanations for this contradiction are explored, and social and research implications are discussed.
严格评估将创造力与精神疾病联系起来的科学证据。
通过检索医学文献数据库（MEDLINE）和二次文献，确定了29项关于创造力与精神疾病的研究以及34篇综述文章。对所有研究进行了严格评估，同时也对综述进行了评估。
在评估创造力与精神疾病之间可能关联的29项研究中，15项未发现证据表明创造力与精神疾病有关联，9项发现了肯定性证据，5项结果不明确。大多数研究采用的方法存在缺陷，设计薄弱（病例系列或病例对照）。没有随机或前瞻性队列研究。未满足确定因果关联的充分标准。在34篇选择性综述中，尽管证据不一，但许多作者断言创造力与精神疾病呈正相关或存在因果关系。
将创造力与精神疾病联系起来的科学证据有限。尽管如此，许多作者仍主张二者存在关联。本文探讨了这一矛盾现象的原因，并讨论了其社会和研究意义。
