Creativity could be a component to bipolar disorder

Abilify users who excel in the arts may have a reason for their symptoms of bipolar disorder. History has always acknowledged that sometimes the most brilliant minds turn out to be tortured souls, and now there could be proof as to why. Researchers have recently looked into whether or not having an innovative mind could be a link in developing this mental illness.

Colleagues from Lancaster and Yale Universities examined the correlation between . The researchers used 835 undergraduate students to take part in the study that administered the participants self-questionnaires that were used to calculate their risk of bipolar disorder. Using the Hypomanic Personality Scale, the professors measured the subjects probability toward exhibiting episodes of extreme swings in emotion, behavior and energy.

The participants were then given another questionnaire to fill out, which focused primarily on exploring the sources of the subjects inspiration. This section mainly dealt with figuring out whether the students thought their creativity came from themselves or influences within their environment. The standard measurement used to determine the results for this study was the External and Internal Sources of Inspiration measuring rule.

The researchers found that those who scored highly on the bipolar focused questionnaires scored higher than the others in measurements of inspiration. Those whose answers revealed bipolar tendencies also alluded to them being the main source of their creativity and inspiration.

Dr. Steven Jones, a professor at Lancaster University and the lead author of the study, felt that the evidence provided through his team's research may help understand that the fragile state of mind that most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder suffer from could be linked to their inability to cope with how innovative and imaginative their creativity can allow them to be at times.

"Understanding more about inspiration is important because it is a key aspect of creativity which is highly associated with mental health problems, in particular ," Jones wrote in the introduction to his study. "People with bipolar disorder highly value creativity as a positive aspect of their condition. This is relevant to clinicians, as people with bipolar disorder may be unwilling to engage with treatments and therapies which compromise their creativity."   

Coping with bipolar disorder
Every year, deal with the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Learning to understand and handle these abrupt mood swings is the most important approach toward coping with this mental illness. A few ways to help control bipolar disorder include:

• learning to be patient and accept the treatment
• keep in frequent communication of your feelings with closed ones and counselors
• do not be hesitant about undergoing therapy
• take your prescribed medication as instructed by your physician

Abilify is a proven prescription that can help combat the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Contact your doctor today to see if medication might be the right method of treatment for you.