Issue of
January 28, 1998

Study group forming on bipolar illness, creativity

Creativity and mental illness have long been associated. William Blake, Robert Shumann, John Keats, Leo Tolstoy, Georgia O’Keefe, Tennessee Williams, Vincent Van Gogh, Freidrich Nietzche and many other creative individuals are said to have suffered from mood disorders.

Although the unusually high rate of bipolar disorder (manic depression) among highly creative individuals is well documented, little systematic research has been conducted in patient populations to determine what relationship the illness itself might bear to creative achievement.

The Bipolar Disorders Clinic, headed by Dr. Terence Ketter, is beginning to research this topic in patients. For more information about becoming involved in the research group, contact Connie Strong at 498-7580 or via e-mail at cmstrong@leland.stanford.edu.