A Comparison Of Creativity And Mental Illness

I’ve always been passionate about understanding others; stepping into their shoes and seeing, thinking, and appreciating the lives they live. I think it is important to take that extra step and see things from a different point of view. It is the only way to achieve a true understanding. I believe in this philosophy so much so, that it’s one of the main reasons I have this blog; to give others a glimpse of a life with mental illness. I’ve been in treatment for 2 months and 26 days and I think it’s time for another peek into my brain.

The following essay will begin by demonstrating what is understood by the concept of mental health. It will attempt to identify different explanations for the underlying issues causing mental illnesses and it will then centre around a case study focusing specifically on one mental health problem. A description of what the causes and effects of the chosen illness will be given and information on the available treatment will be presented. To round up the assignment a brief explanation of the chosen case study will be included with an attempt to distinguish the common issues identified and how they relate to the literature information provided throughout. In this assignment, the case study chosen will target depression.

According to NAMI, The National Alliance of Mental Illness 1 in 5 adults experience a mental health condition yearly. 1 in 20 people live with a serious mental illness like, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Not only does the person who is directly experiencing a mental illness suffer, but the family, and friends are also highly affected. NAMI states that 50% of mental health conditions begin by age 14 and 75% of mental illnesses develop by age 24. Each year, 1 in 5 children from the ages 13-18 experiences a mental illness reported by NAMI. That’s a large amount of our young generation. Three out of four people with a mental illness report that they have experienced stigma, a mark of disgrace that sets a person apart according to the

It not easy to determine how many people suffer from mental illness. This is due to the changing definitions of mental illness and problems classifying, diagnosing, and reporting mental disorders. There are social stigmas attached to mental illness, such as being labeled "crazy," being treated as a danger to others, and being denied jobs or health insurance coverage. These negative connotations keep many sufferers from seeking help, and many of those in treatment do not reveal it on surveys. Some patients do not realize that their symptoms are caused by mental disorders. Even though more is being learned about how the brain works a lot of information has still yet to be discovered, thus mental health professionals must continually reevaluate how mental illnesses are defined and diagnosed. The Surgeon General 's report estimated that roughly 20% of the United States population was affected by mental disorders and that 15% use some type of mental health service every year. Community surveys estimate about 30% of the adult population in the United States suffer from mental disorders.

In the context of creativity’s stated definition, we will proceed to group our arguments into three themes of factors: cognitive ability, expertise training, and environmental conditions. The human brain is highly adaptable and can continue to develop new cognitive abilities, even past adulthood (Norman, 2015). Proper cognitive expertise and training can help workers produce and operate in ingenious ways (Ginamarie, Lertiz & Mumford, 2004). Finally, the working environment can both motivate or stifle creative output. Managers can influence all three components: expertise, thinking skills, and motivation (Amabile, 1998).

Although traditionally being insane is a desired state, she cannot help but feel envy for his unadulterated and peaceful mind. His innocence and ignorance of his surrounding world is caused by his lunacy, but Smith ascertains that a greater unity with nature should be more important than the business of consciousness and self-awareness.

In order to understand how insanity affected these artists’ works, the ways they developed it must first be examined. The first signs

Personality disorders are very defined and recognized in today’s society. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association provides common language and standards classifying mental disorders. The DSM is used by many people in varying disciplines in the USA as well as many other countries. In times past, people with disorders may have been outcast from a community or even persecuted. However, in our current culture the pendulum has swung in the other direction. It almost seems that there is a trend to explain all behavior by a mental disorder. This results in needing to disprove that certain people are not displaying a disorder, rather acting within a normal human emotion or

Deviant behavior is something that is usually disapproved and it is when someone goes against the ‘norms’ of society. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2015), mental illness is technically a health condition involving changes in behavior, emotion, or thinking. So where does mental illness come in to play with being a deviant behavior? Well, shockingly mental illness and deviance go hand in hand quite often. Everyone who is considered a ‘deviant’ may not be mentally ill, however, majority of people diagnosed with a mental illness are considered deviant. When sociologists study deviance, they are also studying mental illness. Mental illness is something that clearly will imply some sort of deviation from the defined norms of society.

“To some extent insanity is a form of conformity; people are always selling the idea that people who have mental illness are suffering. But it’s really not so simple…I think mental illness or madness can be an escape also” (qtd. in “John Forbes Nash”). To many “normal” people, the terms “insanity” or “madness” portray a negative connotation-- the unfortunate ones “suffer” from mental illness. However, brilliant mathematician and Nobel laureate John Forbes Nash, who has paranoid schizophrenia, cherishes his unique condition as a means of retreat from the brutalities of reality (“John Forbes Nash”). Since ancient times, people have observed the link between madness and creative genius. Indeed, research has proven that the two conditions of

Hello Professor Huffman. The primary motivations for writing this draft is to argue that my opinion of creativity and mental disorders subjective nature is a valid one. My other primary motivations are to achieve a good grade and too improve my writing abilities. I revised my essay by fixing the grammar mistakes you listed in the first draft, and correcting citation and grammar mistakes as I reread my essay. I also expanded on my counter arguments to hopefully convince my audience that I understand that they may have doubts after reading the earlier portions of my essay. I received feedback from Khalid Alkhaldi, however, I did not accept all of his feedback I did expand on his point that the counter argument was not yet adequate and expanded on it like I mentioned above. One criticism of his criticisms was that my thesis was not clear, however, I would argue that it is very clear. I believe that he may think that the first sentence of an essay is the only place a thesis can be based on what he said. If this was not the case I do not know how to make it any clearer, which would be my mistake of course. The lesson I learned is that I should not choose topics that are very open-ended unless I am a stakeholder or have a strong opinion on the topic. The biggest challenge I had in writing this is the fact that I had no real opinion, besides the fact research is required to know what was true.

There are many parallels between writing, and insanity because writing is driven from creativity. Creative people need an outlet to express their thoughts into, which keeps them from going crazy. Charles Bukoswki states that "These words I write keep me from total madness" can help us relate to how writing helps put our unspoken words, and feelings onto paper for others to read. Some people deal with emotions in different ways, and instead of keeping it inside of us, it is better to write it down so we don't let our emotions drive us into madness. When people have many ideas in their head, but have no one to share it with, it can drive them mad if they constantly keep thinking about it. That is why I feel that the parallel between writing,

a ‘10 year rule', where this person is known to have". . . two bursts of

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that causes severe mental disturbances which disrupt ones thoughts, speech, and behavior. According to Paul Thompson, Associate Professor of Neurology, one percent of the world’s population suffers from this disorder. There is no one specific cause of schizophrenia, because it is caused by a combination of problems during development. It is a disorder which not only affects the patient, but their family and society as well. Schizophrenia can be a debilitating disorder, however, there are many treatments that can allow people who suffer from it to lead normal lives.

Creativity and creative process figure prominently in the theories of both Freud and Jung. Freud considers the source and motivation for creativity while Jung focuses on creative process. According to Freud, creativity is rooted in conflicts. The creative process is a response to the need to resolve conflicts. Freud includes daydreams and fantasies in the realm of creative works. They are inner desires, frustrations, or discontent transformed into art, literature, or music. Jung also believes human consciousness provides the content for art, literature and music. He identifies two types of creative processes: psychological and visionary. The psychological mode originates out of the collective unconscious and archetypes. Visionary creative processes are transcendental and universal in both meaning and response. This visionary mode is limited to the gifted few being capable of its expression (Malchiodi, 2007).