The Evangelical Universalist Forum

The Link Between Major Mental Disorders And Creative Genius

Since [tag]Holy-Fool-P-Zombie[/tag] has studied psychology he probably has studied this issue as well. Is there a link between major mental illness and creativity? My counselor who has a degree in psychology thinks so given the other factors listed above. What do you think Randy?

One need only see the movie - a beautiful mind - to see his (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Beautiful_Mind_(film)). Yes, I do think that geniuses, those with mental disorders and those with mystical experiences - probably trigger the same brain areas. But as to the specifics, it’s up to science to determine. Good article, Michael. :smiley:

I’m not saying I’m a genius but when I started getting better and experiencing intense love and beauty I started writing poetry. I knew nothing about poetry or how psychologists say that poem making and creativity brings healing. I later found this book after I started doing this:

Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem Making. by John Fox. John Fox, Certified Poetry Therapist, is a poet and author of Finding What You Didn’t Lose: Expressing Your Truth and Creativity through Poem-Making and Poetic Medicine: The Healing Art of Poem-Making. He teaches regularly at the collegiate and post graduate level as an adjunct faculty member of the California Institute of Integral Studies, Sofia University (formerly The Institute of Transpersonal Psychology,) and Holy Names University, Oakland. He taught for twenty years as adjunct at John F. Kennedy University – first through the Graduate School of Professional Psychology and then since 1997 in the Arts & Consciousness Department.

It’s like I was naturally healing myself and wasn’t aware of it. Do you think poetry brings healing Randy? It seems to have done so for me but I know it’s debated.

Yes, it can bring healing. Even seeing a movie can be healing. I recommend Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League. In addition to the AMC show, the Walking Dead. See them all this month, folks. :smiley:

I have to go out for a while, Michael. So I will respond to any questions - a bit later.

I use to watch horror movies and war movies all the time. I’ve undergone a change though. I do like “Hacksaw Ridge” directed by Mel Gibson. It’s the true story about the soldier entering the army and then the war but wouldn’t carry a gun. He was non- violent. He saved a lot of lives in the war and even loved the enemy at times. It does have a lot of blood in it though. I like movies that don’t follow the regular line of plot. Like “The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind”. I’ve found that non-violent movies are good. All that intensity of blood, gore and violence has left me. I guess some sort of pain in movies is good. It’s part of life. Probably my favorite at the moment is “Good Will Hunting” with Robin Williams. I also liked “Titanic”. “Dead Poets Society” is in there as well as “A Beautiful Mind”. I’ve found now that I’m attracted to less intense movies. No more horror for me these last many years.

Mental Illness and Creativity: A Neurological View of the “Tortured Artist”

Stanford Journal of Neuroscience

web.stanford.edu/group/cosign/Sussman.pdf

From my book “Niacin: The Real Story”. It has some interesting information in it about people with the schizophrenic or schizoaffective disorder:

The authors of the book are Doctors and have worked with those who are schizophrenic and schizoaffective. They are:

Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.

Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D

Harold D. Foster, Ph.D.

Here’s a small list of famous people and/or rich celebrities with mental illness

Abbie Hoffman
bipolar disorder

Abraham Lincoln
severe clinical depression

Adam Ant (Stuart Goddard)
bipolar

Adam Rickett
bulimia nervosa

Alanis Morissette
clinical depression

Alastair Campbell
depression

Albert Einstein
dyslexia (speculated)

Alexander Graham Bell
dyslexia

Alfred Taubman
dyslexia

Ally Sheedy
bulimia nervosa; substance abuse

Alma Powell
clinical depression

Alonzo Spellman
bipolar disorder

Alvin Ailey
bipolar disorder (aka “manic depression”)

Amy Heckerling
eating disorders; obsessive-compulsive disorder

Angelina Jolie
depression and self harm

Anne Sexton
clinical depression

Ann-Margret
clinical depression; alcoholism

Art Buchwald
bipolar disorder

Audrey Hepburn
clinical depression; eating disorders

Axl Rose
bipolar disorder

Barbara Niven
bulimia nervosa

Barbra Streisand
social phobia

Ben Moody
depression

Ben Stiller
bipolar disorder

Ben Vereen
clinical depression

Benjamin Disraeli
clinical depression

Bert Yancey
bipolar disorder

Bill Lichtenstein
bipolar disorder

Bill Oddie
bipolar

Billy Joel
alcohol and depression

Billy Joel
clinical depression

Boris Yeltsin
clinical depression

Brian Wilson
bipolar disorder

Britney Spears
bipolar and post natal depression

Brooke Shields
postpartum depression

Burgess Meredith
bipolar disorder

Buzz Aldrin
clinical depression

Calvin Coolidge
clinical depression (speculated)

Carly Simon
social phobia

Carmen Miranda
clinical depression

Caroline Aherne
major depressive disorder

Carrie Fisher
bipolar disorder, substance abuse;

Cary Grant
clinical depression

catherine zeta jones
bipolar II

Charles “Buddy” Bolden
schizophrenia

Charles Darwin
severe panic disorder

Charles Dickens
clinical depression; bipolar disorder (suspected)

Charles Faust
schizophrenia

Charles Schulz
clinical depression

Charles Schwab
dyslexia

Charley Pell
clinical depression

Charley Pride
bipolar disorder; alcoholism

Clara Bow
clinical depression

Cole Porter
clinical depression; alcoholism; paranoid delusions; obsessive-compulsive disorder (speculated)

Connie Francis
clinical depression

Courtney Love
drub abuse, clinical depression

Craig Ferguson
alcoholic

Craig McCaw
dyslexia

Dame Kelly Holmes
depression and self harm

Damon Wayans
clinical depression

Daniel Johns
clinical depression; anxiety disorder;eating disorder

Danny Glover
learning disability

Darryl Strawberry
clinical depression

David Boies
dyslexia

David Bowie
crying but not diagnosed but lots of family mental health issues

David Murdock
dyslexia

Delta Burke
depression and compulsive hoarding

Denise Welch
nervous breakdown

Diane Arbus
clinical depression

Dick Cavett
depression – found electro shock therapy helpful

Dick Clark
clinical depression

Dimitrius Underwood
bipolar disorder

DMX
bipolar

Dolly Parton
clinical depression

Donny Osmond
clinical depression; social phobia

Dorothy Day
clinical depression

Doug Ferrari
borderline personality disorder

Doug Flutie, Jr.
autism

Drew Barrymore
clinical depression; alcoholism, substance abuse;

Drew Carey
clinical depression

Dwight Gooden
clinical depression

Earl Campbell
panic disorder

Edgar Allan Poe
clinical depression (speculated); alcoholism

Edward McVaney
dyslexia

Elizabeth Hartman
clinical depression (speculated)

Elton John
substance abuse and bulimia

Emily Carr
various speculations, neurasthenia; hypochondriasis; clinical depression; conversion disorder; schizophrenia:

Emma Thompson
clinical depression

Eric Clapton
clinical depression

Ernest Hemingway
clinical depression

Eugene O’Neill
clinical depression

F. Scott Fitzgerald
clinical depression

Fiona Phillips
depression

Frances Lear
bipolar disorder;, substance abuse

Francis Ford Coppola
bipolar disorder

Frank Bruno
bipolar

Frank Lloyd Wright
clinical depression

Gaetano Donizetti
bipolar disorder

Gail Porter
post natal depression

George Eliot (Marian Evans)
clinical depression

George Michael
depression and fear

George S. Patton
clinical depression; dyslexia

George Washington
learning disability

Georgia O’Keeffe
clinical depression

Graeme Obree
depression

Halle Berry
suicide attempt

Harrison Ford
clinical depression

Harry Andersen
learning disability

Hart Crane
clinical depression; alcoholism

Heath Ledger
depression, anxiety and sleep depravation

Henry Winkler
learning disability

Herb McCauley
bulimia nervosa

Hermann Hesse
clinical depression

Herschel Walker
dissociative identity disorder

Howard Hughes
OCD (clinical depression and psychosis both speculated

Howard Stern
obsessive-compulsive disorder

Howie Mandel
obsessive-compulsive disorder

Hugh Laurie
depression

Hunter Tylo
clinical depression

Irving Berlin
clinical depression

Isaac Newton
bipolar disorder (suspected)

J.P. Morgan
bipolar disorder

Jack Dee
depression

Jack Farrell
clinical depression

Jack Irons
bipolar disorder

Jack Kerouac
clinical depression, substance abuse, severe alcoholism;

Jackson Pollock
clinical depression; substance abuse

Jaco Pastorius
bipolar disorder; alcoholism; substance abuse

James Dean Bradfield
bipolar

James Forrestal
clinical depression

James Garner
clinical depression

James Taylor
clinical depression; bipolar disorder

Jane Fonda
bulimia nervosa

Jane Pauley
bipolar
Janet Jackson
clinical depression

Jean-Claude Van Damme
bipolar disorder

Jessica Alba
OCD and eating disorder

Jessica Lange
clinical depression

Jim Carrey
clinical depression

Jimmy Piersall
bipolar disorder

Joan Rivers
clinical depression; bulimia nervosa

Joey Kramer
clinical depression

Joey Slinger
clinical depression

John Chambers
dyslexia

John Daly
bipolar disorder; alcoholism, gambling addiction;

John Forbes Nash
schizophrenia (paranoid-type)

John Gibson
bipolar disorder

John Kenneth Galbraith
clinical depression

John Madden
specific phobia (flying)

John Mulheren
bipolar disorder

John Nash
schizophrenia

John Quincy Adams
clinical depression

Jose Canseco
clinical depression

Joshua Logan
bipolar disorder

Judy Garland
clinical depression;,substance abuse

Jules Feiffer
clinical depression

Julie Krone
post-traumatic stress disorder; clinical depression

Justine Bateman
eating disorders

Karen Carpenter
anorexia nervosa

Karen Kain
clinical depression

Kate Millett
bipolar disorder

Katie Price/Jordan
post natal depression

Keisha Buchanan
depression

Kendall Gill
clinical depression

Kim Basinger
panic disorder

Kitty Dukakis
bipolar disorder, alcoholism; substance abuse;

Kris Kristopherson
clinical depression; substance abuse

Kristy McNichol
bipolar disorder

Kurt Cobain
attention deficit disorder and bipolar depression

Kurt Vonnegut
clinical depression/bipolar

Kylie Minogue
depression

Larry Flynt
bipolar disorder

Larry King
clinical depression

Lawton Chiles
clinical depression

Lenny Henry
depression

Leo Tolstoy
clinical depression; hypochondriasis; alcoholism; substance abuse

Leonard Bernstein
clinical depression

Leonard Cohen
clinical depression

Lewis Preston
dyslexia

Linda Hamilton
bipolar disorder

Lionel Aldridge
schizophrenia (paranoid-type)

Lord Bragg
depression

Ludwig van Beethoven
bipolar disorder

Macy Gray
bipolar

Marc Summers
obsessive-compulsive disorder

Margaret Trudeau Kemper
bipolar disorder

Margaux Hemingway
dyslexia; alcoholism; clinical depression (speculated)

Margot Kidder
manic depression (Bipolar) and paranoia

Marie Osmond
clinical depression, post-partum

Marilyn Monroe
clinical depression/suicide

Mark Rothko
clinical depression

Marsha Linehan
bpd

Meg Mathews
depression

Mel C:
depression

Mel Gibson
bipolar

Melinda Messenger
depression

Meriwether Lewis
clinical depression

Michael Phelps
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Mike Tyson
depression and severe insecurities and anger

Mike Wallace
clinical depression

Morrissey (S.P.)
clinical depression

Murray Pezim
bipolar disorder

Natalie Cole
clinical depression

Ned Beatty
bipolar disorder

Neil Lennon
depression

Neil Simon
clinical depression

Nelson Rockefeller
dyslexia

Nicole Kidman
panic attacks on the red carpet

Norman Mailer
clinical depression

Ozzy Osbourne
bipolar

Pablo Picasso
clinical depression

Pat Lafontaine
clinical depression

Patricia Cornwell
bipolar disorder, anorexia nervosa, anorexia bulimia;;

Patrick Kennedy
clinical depression

Patsy Palmer
depression and panic attacks

Patty Duke
bipolar disorder

Paul Gascoigne
clinical depression

Paul Simon
clinical depression

Paula Abdul
bullimia nervosa

Paula Deen
Agoraphobia and panic attacks

Pete Harnisch
clinical depression

Peter Gabriel
clinical depression

Peter Greene
schizophrenia

Phil Spector
clinical depression/bipolar

Pierre Péladeau
bipolar disorder

Princess Diana
Bulimia nevosa, depression and multiple suicide attempts

Queen Victoria
clinical depression

Ray Charles
clinical depression

Richard Branson
dyslexia

Richard Dreyfuss
clinical depression/bipolar

Richard Simmons
anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa;

Richey James
clinical depression, anorexia nervosa;;alcoholism

Rick Springfield
clinical depression

Ricky Williams
social phobia

Robbie Williams
depression

Robert Boorstin
bipolar disorder

Robert Campeau
bipolar disorder

Robert Lowell
bipolar disorder

Robert McFarlane
clinical depression

Robert Munsch
bipolar disorder

Robert Young
clinical depression; alcoholism

Robin Williams
clinical depression, learning disability;

Rod Steiger
clinical depression

Rodney Dangerfield
clinical depression

Roseanne
dissociative identity disorder (aka “multiple personality disorder”); obsessive-compulsive disorder; clinical depression; agoraphobia

Rosemary Clooney
bipolar

Ruby Wax
depression

Russell Grant
depression

Sandra Dee
anorexia nervosa

Sarah Lancashire
depression

Sarah McLachlan
clinical depression

Scott Donie
clinical depression

Shayne Corson
panic attacks

Shecky Greene
bipolar disorder, with severe panic attacks

Sheryl Crow
clinical depression

Sigmund Freud
clinical depression

Sinead O’Connor
bipolar

Sir Anthony Hopkins
clinical depression

Sir Elton John
bulimia nervosa; substance abuse, alcoholism;

Sophie Anderton
drug addiction and depression

Spencer Tracy
clinical depression; alcoholism

Spike Milligan
bipolar disorder

Stephen Fry
bipolar depression

Steve Blass
social phobia

Steve Sax
social phobia

Sting (Gordon Sumner)
clinical depression

Susan Powter
clinical depression

Syd Barrett
schizophrenia

Sylvia Plath
clinical depression

Tammy Wynette
clinical depression, substance abuse;

Ted Turner
bipolar disorder

Tennessee Williams
clinical depression

Theodore Dreiser
clinical depression

Thomas Alva Edison
dyslexia

Thomas Eagleton
clinical depression

Tiberius
clinical depression (speculated)

Tipper Gore
clinical depression

Tom Cruise
dyslexia

Tony Slattery
bipolar

Tracey Gold
anorexia nervosa, attention deficit disorder;

Tracy Thompson
clinical depression

Trisha Goddard
depression

Tulisa’s mum
Tulisa’s mum had scizoaffective disorder

Uma Thurman
depression

Vaslav Nijinsky
schizophrenia

Veronica Lake
schizophrenia; alcoholism

Vincent Foster
clinical depression (speculated)

Vincent van Gogh
clinical depression; bipolar disorder (speculated)

Vivien Leigh
bipolar disorder after miscarriage

Walker Percy
clinical depression

Walt Disney
dyslexia

Whoopi Goldberg
dyslexia

William Hewlett
dyslexia

William Styron
clinical depression

Winona Ryder
clinical depression; anxiety

Winston Churchill
bipolar disorder; dyslexia

Woodrow Wilson
dyslexia

Yves Saint Laurent
clinical depression

msmonographs.org/article.asp?issn=0973-1229;year=2011;volume=9;issue=1;spage=42;epage=53;aulast=Andreasen

Here’s the link to the above list of celebrities and famous people:

http://amandagreenauthor.co.uk/300-famous-people-celebrities-who-have-suffered-with-mental-illness-or-issues-help-highlight-the-stigma-in-our-society/