Why do many suffer from mental genius?

Many of the greatest creative thinking geniuses in human history, from famous artists Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo to great writers Virginia Woolf or Edgar Allan Poe, all suffer from mental illness.

>>>The smartest prodigies in history

A recent study has found a link between the two extremes of the human mind: creativity and mental disorder , showing that the delicate boundary between genius and mental person is more than just anecdotes

A self-portrait with a cut ear was painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1889.

Professor Kay Redfield Jamison, a clinical psychologist at Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, said the results of 20 to 30 scientific studies confirm this conclusion.

Among many types of mental disorders, the emergence of creative abilities is associated with mood disorders, especially bipolar disorder , Jamison said. For example, an intelligence test of 700,000 Swedish children in the age of 16 was conducted and continued to follow up for the next 10 years. The results published in 2010 surprised the experts: in the dominant group, the ability to develop bipolar disorder increased 4 times compared to the other group.

Bipolar disorder characterized by abnormal changes in two states: extreme excitement and severe depression. How can this cycle generate creativity? Neuroscientist James Fallon from the University of California - Irvine explains: 'People with bipolar disorder tend to develop creativity when they are in a mood of sadness and despair'.

As this condition improves, brain activity changes as well: activities will disappear in the area under the frontal lobe and 'flash' in the higher region. In the manic period, they will have trance times to create a masterpiece that an ordinary person cannot do.

In people with this type of disorder, they can analyze and review conflicting ideas at the same time and be aware of ambiguous links between them while most other normal brains are not, Elyn Saks, Professor of Mental Health at the University of Southern California added.

It is undeniable that bipolar mental illness has contributed to the creation and dedication of extremely great literature and art to mankind. This result has been discussed at the 5th World Science Festival in New York on Friday (May 31).