Creativity and Bipolar Disorder
History has always held a place for the "mad genius", the kind who, in a bout of euphoric fervor, rattles off revolutionary ideas, incomprehensible to the general population, yet invaluable to the population's evolution into a better adapted species over time. Is this link between creativity and mental illness one of coincidence, or are the two actually related? If related, does heightened creative behavior alter the brain's neurochemistry such that one becomes more prone to a mental illness like bipolar disorder? Does bipolar disorder cause alterations in neurochemistry in the brain that increase creative behavior through elevated capacity for thought and expression? Is this link the result of some third factor which causes both of the two effects?
Centuries of literature and innumerable studies have supported strong cases relating creativity--particularly in the arts, music and literature--to bipolar disorder. Both creativity and bipolar disorder can be attributed to a genetic predisposition and environmental influences. Biographical studies, diagnostic and psychological studies and family studies provide different aspects for examining this relationship.
A 1949 study of 113 German artists, writers, architects, and composers was one of the first to undertake an extensive, in-depth investigation of both artists and their relatives. Although two-thirds of the 113 artists and writers were "psychically normal," there were more suicides and "insane and neurotic" individuals in the artistic group than could be expected in the general population, with the highest rates of psychiatric abnormality found in poets (50%) and musicians (38%). (1) Many other similar tests revealed th...
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...ay Redfield. Touched with Fire. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
2) Journal of Memetics, an article addressing creativity, evolution and mental illness.
http://jomemit.cfpm.org/1997/vol1/preti_a&miotto_p.html
3)Bipolar Disorder, an educational resource about bipolar disorder.
http://216.239.57.100/search?q=cache:Hac5G2R_ezsC:faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bipolar.html+serotonin+bipolar+disorder&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
4) Manic-Depressive & Depressive Association of Boston, an article discussing the genetics of bipolar disorder.
http://www.mddaboston.org/lect020900.html
5) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, an online version of the resource book.
http://www.psychologynet.org/bipolar1.html
6) From Neurons to Neighborhoods, a book that addresses early development of the brain.
http://books.nap.edu/books/0309069882/html/187.html#pagetop
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: Fourth Edition. Arlington : American Psychiatric Association.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
Several theories exist as to what might lead a person to develop bipolar disorder. In Virginia Woolf's case, many scholars related her illness to childhood sexual abuse by her older stepbrothers, on the basis of Freudian theory (Carmango, 1992). Uebelacker (2006) researches correlations between family functioning and the course of bipolar disorder and finds that stable family relationships would likely make it easier for bipolar family members to manage their symptoms. In Woolf's case, family problems may have played a major role, not in the development of her disease, but in the onsets of her episodes (Carmango, 1992). A person’s environmental forces do not cause bipolar disorder.
Recently there has been a debate on whether organic and natural produce are healthier alternatives to commercial produce. Since this debate began, there are now grocery stores dedicated to providing products that are all essentially all natural or organic. Various examples of these grocery stores include Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Safeway, and Super Target. Skeptics of this argument suggest natural and organic food industries are all marketing ploys targeted toward consumers in search of healthier food choices. The final question we must ask ourselves to get to the bottom of this debate is: Are organic and natural foods actually more beneficial or are they just a marketing hoax?
Hudson suggests that zombies represent a bandwagon of the unmotivated, but it can be overcome. “Zombies stem from our similarity to the pitiable creatures deprived of its soul, forced to labor for the benefit of unknown masters…this state can be overcome with the individual agency and moral responsibility of the masses.”(Hudson 10) In this example Hudson makes the comparison between zombies and people who feel they are forced to labor. Zombies represent man who is unaware of his mental abilities. Zombies represent man who just works, but when asked why he just says he works because he has to. Zombies represent man with no ambition. Hudson also suggests that we only need to be responsible and see that in America we don’t just labor for an unknown master but rather we get to choose who we work for. By linking zombies to the people who just work away with no ambition Hudson is able to make a powerful pathetic appeal in order to inspire change in how we view our jobs, and economic system. The diction choice Hudson utilizes is very emotionally powerful here as we have deep emotional ties to words like “depri...
With the world’s population continuing to increase, the demand for food is higher than ever. This increase in food demand also calls for more efficient ways of growing and providing the food. Two methods that are very controversial are the organic and conventional method. While many people support the organic method because of its known benefits, others feel that it is an over inflated industry that cheats consumers out of their money. But recently many studies have disproved those critics. These studies prove that Organic food is a better choice than conventional because it is better for the environment, avoids the use of chemicals, and is generally more beneficial.
Organic has long since been a highly accredited term for food. To be organic is to be pure, natural, and above the dirty industrial system that food production has become. This definition however has become tainted. The truth is that organic foods are anything but healthier. In Michael Pollan’s research book The Omnivore’s Dilemma the validity of organic foods are discredited. Pollan argues about organic food, as it is misleading consumers.
Many people ask the question of what is organic food? This paper is going to go into many things that people might have questions about when it comes to organic food. What is organic food? Is there a difference between Organic and conventional food? Is growing organic easier on farms soil compared to conventional farming? What does it take to be organic food, who watches and regulates what is considered to be organic? Why does organic food cost so much more than conventional? Is it really worth the higher cost? Organic food, is it more beneficial than that of conventionally grown food. Why? What is the difference between CERTIFIED organic and organic foods that are not certified? We will go into all of these questions and more throughout this paper trying to find the answers
...chiatric Association. (2012). “Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders” (4th Ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Currently, there is a global demand emerging for organic products specifically a huge consumer demand in the United States and Europe. The United States ranks fourth in organically farmed land globally, and sales of organic food have increased by almost a factor of six, from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008 (Reganold, Andrews, Reeve, Carpenter-Boggs, Schadt, Alldredge, Ross, Davies, Zhou, 2010). In the United States, organic farming has gained much popularity in the farm sector, mainly due to the new wave or generally recognized as healthy food products (Uematsu, Mishra, 2012).
Creativity is one of the mission of a teacher in every age, and discipline. As he may be creative to motivate students, he has to generate creativity in his pupils. In this way, understanding the relation between the neurobiology of creativity and its cognition is useful to every teacher.
The term “organic” is almost everywhere in modern society, whether it’s used to promote a product or it’s debated on whether it really benefits the human diet. Organic food is heavily debated on as it appears more and more in local grocery stores and farmers markets begin to populate, it raises questions such as “Is organic food better than food grown with pesticides and biologically engineered genes?” and “Are there benefits to eating organically over foods grown in any other way?” In terms of what data and results show in research may help lead to answers to most of the heavily debated issues throughout discussions on organic food.
Thirty years later, organic farming was in high demand, but suffered developing pains. Although there was agreements being made, there was no regulations put forth towards organic farming. Fast forwarding to present time, many consumers are starting to purchase organic food products even making it a trend. Written in Inouye, Alena, and McCauley’s 2006 article “Organic Farming Should Be Pursued”, “organic farming is gaining in popularity due to Americans ' increasing concern about food safety and environmental protection.” This quote assumes the reasoning behind the sudden popularity in organic farming is society’s attraction towards the idea of a cleaner food industry and environment. The article also mentions, “As a result, sales of organic foods in the United States have increased by more than 20 percent every year since 1996, reaching $7.8 billion in 2000.”(Inouye, Alena, McCauley) The fact that popularity towards organic farming grows at a rate of 20 percent every single year further proves how its movement has such an impact towards the consumers of
There has been a cultural adjustment to organic farming and eating that is critical for future human and environmental benefits for three reasons. First reason is that a person’s health counts on good food being consumed into the body. Organic foods do not contain any artificial colors, preservatives, flavors, or pesticides making them healthier for Consumers. The EPA makes an educated guess that approximately 90% of all fungicides, 60% of all herbicides, and 30% of all pesticides are all chemicals found in conventionally grown agriculture, and these chemicals causes cancer, and organic food does not have these malicious substances. The bottom line is that these chemicals are toxic poisonous designed to kill living organisms and
In conclusion,creativity and mental illness are inexplicably linked although the connection is not the set standard for everyone. While others may argue this claim to be false and romanticized, the truth is that the two have in the past and will in the future continue to appear together. It can be seen through numerous studies the nature of the connection and the varying effects it can have on the human mind. This phenomena has been witnessed for thousands of years with just as many theories though the conclusion remains the same. "If mental illness can produce powerful art, then perhaps, instead of trying to eliminate them by medication, we should embrace those mental as valuable in their own right"(Sussman).