But is this idea just a stereotype, or does it actually contain a grain of truth?
Both artists detailed their mental illness in writing.
This article explores the paradoxical association between creativity and mental illness.
Artist Vincent van Gogh suffered from mental illness, famously cutting off his ear and eventually taking his own life.Fine Art/ Getty Images
It also discusses some of the potential mental health benefits of creativity and artistic pursuits.
Plath and van Gogh were just two of a very long list of suffering artists.
Moreover, certain mood disorders appear to have stronger links to creativity than others.
Yet, people with MDD tend to be more creative than those withmild depression, the research suggests.
During this time, people also exhibit intense and focused concentration as well as a distorted sense of time.
In the end, Taylors review raised more questions than it answered.
She suggested that her investigation is a guide for future research rather than a conclusive study.
Research has found thatwriting about painful past eventsmay even temporarily boost ones immune system.
The incidence of bipolar disorder in this group was small, however.
People with the disorder were just 8% more likely to enter the arts.
Creative personalities with unusual perceptual experiences and impulsive nonconformity rated themselves higher on a creativity scale than others.
However, it’s worth noting the similar traits that are associated with both mood disorders and creativity.
Either way, creativity and artistic expression have been shown to have a significant benefit to people with depression.
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The Bell Jar Quotes.
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