Depression, mania and self-reported creativity in bipolar disorder

The present study investigated the relationship between self-reported creativity and current symptoms of depression and mania. Three hundred and ninety-seven participants previously diagnosed with BD completed an online questionnaire that included demographic and clinical information questions, creativity and self-report measures of depression and hypo/mania over the past week. Those reporting clinically significant depressive symptoms had significantly lower creativity scores than those in the hypo/mania and no current symptom groups. There were no significant differences between those reporting clinically significant hypo/mania and no current symptom groups, however they reported significantly higher creativity scores than those who reported symptoms of both hypo/mania and depression in the past week. Furthermore, subscales of the creativity measure demonstrated significant differences between some of the groups on the drama, interaction and maths/science subscales. These findings suggest that there is a relationship between mood and how people with BD understand and experience creativity. Further research is needed to better understand the role of creativity in the management of bipolar disorder and how this may be associated with well-being outcomes such as recovery, and also how it may be incorporated into treatment.