Mental Illness, Creativity & Entrepreneurship
A Review of Research on Mental Illness & Creatorship
Mental illness has long been linked to the creative and entrepreneurial mind. Naturally, this begs the question: Why does this connection exist?
As it turns out, the high rates of mental illnesses among creators, like depression, ADHD, substance abuse, and bipolar aren’t an accident. New research reveals that these diagnoses may actually facilitate creative thinking and confer adaptive advantages in the entrepreneurial context.
Let’s explore the link between creativity and:
Depression
ADHD
Substance abuse
Bipolar
Depression
Depression is a mental illness that affects a person's mood, thoughts, and behavior. It's characterized by feelings of sadness, low energy, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, difficulty concentrating and making decisions, and a loss of interest or pleasure in life.
Research has shown that entrepreneurs are two-times more likely to suffer from depression than non-entrepreneurs (1), and a variety of studies have linked creativity and depression (2).
Some evolutionary psychologists believe that depression hasn't been weeded out in our gene pool because it can be adaptive for creative problem solving: It helps people identify a problem, conserve their energy, and think deeply about that problem until a solution arises (3).
It’s believed that depression can support creativity through:
Creators with depression include: Vincent van Gogh, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Robin Williams, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato, and J.K. Rowling.
ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulty planning, disorganization, forgetfulness, impatience, and more.
Research has shown that entrepreneurs are nearly 6x more likely to struggle with ADHD than non-entrepreneurs (1), and clinically elevated levels of ADHD symptomatology are correlated with creativity (4).
Some researchers believe that the unique neurobiology of ADHD contributes to thought and behavioral patterns that support creative and entrepreneurial work.
This includes:
Hyperfocus (5)
Divergent Thinking (6)
Novelty-Seeking (7)
Impulsive Creativity (7)
Risk tolerance (8)
Productive compensation strategies, like support, reminders, etc. (9)
Creators with ADHD include: Simone Biles, Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Justin Timberlake, Michael Phelps, and Emma Watson,
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is the excessive and harmful use of drugs or alcohol, resulting in negative consequences on a person's physical health, well-being, relationships, and overall functioning.
Research has shown that entrepreneurs are 4x more likely to struggle with substance abuse than non-entrepreneurs (1), and many scholars have noted the connection between creative careers and substance abuse (10).
While substance abuse itself is undeniably harmful, the genetics that underlie addictive patterns — specifically, dopamine gene variants (11) — are strongly linked with creative and entrepreneurial patterns like:
Novelty-seeking (11)
Excitement, energy & exhilaration (11)
Sensation-seeking (12)
Risk tolerance (12)
Hyper-focus on rewards (13)
Creators with addiction include: Johnny Depp, Edgar Allen Poe, Demi Lovato, Eminem, Ernest Hemingway, Russel Brand, and Judy Garland.
Bipolar
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by extreme mood swings, alternating between periods of intense emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows (depression).
Research has shown that entrepreneurs are 11x more likely to struggle with substance abuse than non-entrepreneurs (1), and there's a natural co-occurrence of creativity and bipolar disorder (14).
Some researchers believe that the rate of bipolar among creative and entrepreneurial minds is so high due to the unique creative power of the hypo/manic 'upsides' combined with the depressive 'upsides.'
Manic/hypomanic phase is characterized by energy, excitement, optimism, sociability, curiosity, and more (15).
Depressive phase is characterized by energy conservation, enhanced problem solving, reflectiveness, and more (3).
Creators with bipolar include: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Virginia Woolf, Halsey, Vincent van Gogh, and Stephen Fry.
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