Zee Media Bureau
Washington: If you have a 'creative' streak, you could be more susceptible to mental illnesses! Yes, according to a new study, a genetic link has been found between creativity and mental illness.
The risk of developing schizophrenia and bipolar disorder is very high for the people who are artistic and have those 'creative' genes.
Scientifically, creativity is difficult to define, researchers consider a creative person to be someone who takes novel approaches requiring cognitive processes that are different from prevailing modes of thought or expression.
Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are disorders of thoughts and emotions, which means that those affected show alterations in cognitive and emotional processing.
During the research, researchers found that genetic risk scores for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were significantly higher in creative individuals, with scores approximately halfway between the general population and those with the disorders themselves.
Author Robert Power said that their findings suggest that creative people may have a genetic predisposition towards thinking differently which when combined with other harmful biological or environmental factors can lead to mental illness.
The research is published in journal Nature Neuroscience.
(With Agency inputs)
