# Creative writers more susceptible to mental illness?



## rosedragon (Mar 20, 2008)

Just browsing the internet and found an article that said this:



> It?s a relatively new theory in the world of psychology ? in 2001, James Kaufman conducted a study that showed creative writers, especially female poets, are more susceptible to mental illness than other types of professions.



Full article in here: Neatorama   Writers Who Suffered From the Sylvia Plath Effect

I don't agree with that, I think they got mental illness before they become creative writers. Writing is one of most comforting ways to pour out feelings without fear being rejected. Why in end the writers listed there end their life, I think because they overwhelmed with past and present problems, their imagination can't be a barrier anymore.


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## braveheart (Mar 21, 2008)

I agree, Rosedragon, my emotional difficulties, my depression, anxiety and everything else, started before I was even able to write. However since I was about 6, I've been able to express in writing my innermost thoughts and feelings. For many years this enabled me to put into writing the things I could never speak about. 

My writing however is primarily auto-biographical and expressive, rather than creative as such - like therapeutic free association prose or poetry. 

Maybe writing is a gift given to those in emotional turmoil... to help them cope....


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## David Baxter PhD (Mar 21, 2008)

That, of course, doesn't mean that creativity and susceptibility to certain conditions like depression or bipolar disorder cannot be two sides of the same coin.

People who are vulnerable to depression tend to be more sensitive, empathic, sympathetic, introverted, and self-analytical than people less vulnerable to depression. That is probably one of the reasons why so many artists, singers, actors, writers, musicians, etc., suffer from depression. It's not that the depression "causes" creativity. It's that the same qualities and personality traits are asscociated with both depression and creativity.


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## Blaze (Mar 21, 2008)

David Baxter said:


> People who are vulnerable to depression tend to be more sensitive, empathic, sympathetic, introverted, and self-analytical than people less vulnerable to depression. That is probably one of the reasons why so many artists, singers, actors, writers, musicians, etc., suffer from depression. It's not that the depression "causes" creativity. It's that the same qualities and personality traits are asscociated with both depression and creativity.



That was exactly what I was about to say.  Most people who have creative minds are probably using it at some point or another to escape from the situations that are present in their lives.  I remember as a child I would always flee to a more imaginative world where I had more control over situations and where I was the person that I wanted to be.  I'm sure most other creative writers have been moving to their own worlds to cope with situations and eventually sat down and wrote about them.  When used in positive manners, it could be very therapeutic and a good way to take a look at yourself.

This topic is more about correlation than causation, as are most things researched in psychology.  It seems that those that suffer from depression are more likely to be creative writers, but that doesn't mean that creative writing causes depression and vice versa.


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