Jacob Sexton

Joseph Worsley
John Braswell
Page 1
Illness and Creativity
by Joseph Worsley, John Braswell, and Jacob Sexton

Between illness and creativity, there lies a major bond. The first example of this is savant
syndrome. While savants are hindered by most ordinary occurrences, they also have supernatural
abilities. Another link between illness and creativity is depression. Depression can damage the
brain and have various effects on creativity. The last link between the two is ADHD. Individuals
with ADHD tend to think outside the box, and thus are more creative.
The bond between savants and creativity is an extraordinary. Savant syndrome is a
condition in which an individual with severe mental disabilities is able to excel in certain
situations. These abilities that savants have can vary in degree; some can be incredible, while
some can be lackluster. This syndrome is obviously linked to creativity, simply because of the
many extraordinary things that savants are capable of.
This syndrome mainly affects autistics and individuals with cerebral problems. Roughly 10% of
autistic individuals have savant syndrome. Around 50% of savants are autistic, while the remaining 50%
have some other kind of mental disability (Kennedy, An analysis of calendar performance in two
autistic calendar savants). While the name syndrome suggests that it is a mental disorder, it is
not. Lastly, this syndrome is more common in men than women.
The depiction of savants in the media is very positive. Probably the most well known
case is the movie Rain man. Rain man is a story about a man whose inheritance is given to
his autistic brother, who he was previously unaware of. This movie increased the popularity of
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Joseph Worsley
John Braswell
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savant syndrome greatly. Lastly, many savants are celebrated as celebrities because of their
incredible abilities.

One example of a savant is Alonzo Clemons. Clemons sustained a head injury early in his
life, rendering him mentally disabled. Despite the fact that he remains unable to feed himself or
even tie his own shoes, he is an expert sculptor. After seeing a 2D image, he is able to quickly
sculpt it in great detail. Some of his sculptures have sold for as much as $45,000. He currently
lives in Boulder, Colorado.
Another savant is Daniel Tammet, who is a high-functioning autistic with savant
syndrome. Tammets most famous ability is the ability to recite over 22,000 digits of Pi.
Furthermore, Tammet has learned 10 languages, including Romanian and Gaelic. Unlike other
savants, Tammet is able to describe how his thought process works. Because of these amazing
abilities, he has been the subject of many scientific studies.
Lastly, there is Kim Peek. Kim was born with incredibly severe brain damage. His
doctor told his father to just leave him in a mental institution, but Kims father refused. Although
Kim struggles greatly with motor control, he has read over 12,000 books, and can recall all of
them (Allen, Kim Peek: The Real Rain Man dies.). He died in 2009 of a heart at the age of 58.
Kim is the inspiration for the movie Rain Man.
It is quite apparent that savants are capable of supernatural abilities. While most people
would struggle to remember event a few digits of Pi, a savant like Daniel Tammet is able to
recite over 22,000 digits on command. A savant like Alonzo Clemons is capable of sculpting an
incredibly detailed sculpture after just seeing it for an instant. The presence of savant syndrome
seems to increase creativity exponentially.
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Joseph Worsley
John Braswell
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Because of its broad range of abilities, savant syndrome is an incredibly interesting and
theory-prone case. Some people theorize that because the brains of savants are damaged in one
way, the body makes up for it by building up other parts of the brain. This theory is similar to
how the bodys ability to hear is enhanced in blind people. This theory would explain how such
supernatural abilities are able to be performed by savants, especially considering that the
majority of savants lack the skills to performed mundane, everyday tasks. While this theory is a
seemingly good fit for an explanation, the case of savant syndrome still has many, many
questions to be answered.
Another link between illness and creativity is depression. The creative part of a person
makes us
different from everyone. It is the ability to think of ideas that you normally would not think of.
Creativity is affected by our characteristics and traits. Our creativity can even be affected by our
mental health. Depression can enhance a persons mindset to think outside the box. Many
authors and painters in the past have been inspired by depression to write fantastic works of
literature, such as poems by Edgar Allan Poe and the book Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons.
Depression is usually caused by a death or something stressful taking place in the
individual's life. These examples could be used as inspiration. Creativity pertains to the right
hemisphere of the brain while a hyperactive right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is logical and
the right is thoughtful. People think of these as left brain thinkers and right brain thinkers. The
right side deals with positive and negative emotions and depression affects emotional health the
most out of anything. Depression gives you thoughts of suicide, sadness, and guilt. Individuals
need creativity to get out of severe depression. Depression can damage the brain permanently.
Antidepressant medication can help if you have severe depression. Antidepressants work by
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Joseph Worsley
John Braswell
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increasing your serotonin. Since there is no way to measure the amount of serotonin in the brain
it is difficult to measure what serotonin levels will be like after taking these drugs. Depression
can actually weaken the brain and continue when it is over. Genes make up your mood too. The
parts that are affected are the amygdala which deals with anger, The thalamus which deals with
information of the senses, and the hippocampus deals with long term memory. The level of
creativity varies with the health of these systems.
Many actors who have suffered through depression have become successful, like
Angelina Jolie who had recurrences of depression after her mother died when Angelina Jolies
early 20s. She has played in over 30 different movies in her lifetime. Abraham Lincoln also had
depression during his late 20s. He had no help from doctors and he used humor to save himself
from depression by telling jokes. He was one of our greatest leaders of all time. Isaac Newton,
The Father Of Physics, had depressive instances and was unable to connect with other people.
He explained calculus, physics, and mad telescopes. Many great inventors and leaders have had
some type of mental health disorder that affects the mind, can aid mental skills.
Some scientists question whether or not certain mental conditions affect creativity.
ADHD is a main topic of discussion in this conversation. This is a personal topic which I can
relate to because I myself have a subset of ADHD also known as ADD and an interest in the arts.
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) can be
described as an inability to pay attention to an object or subject and varying levels or energy or
anxiousness. Some doctors pair ADD with ADHD and divide it into 3 subcategories; Combined
Type, Predominantly Inattentive Type, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type.
There is already substantial evidence that the ADHD brain is less constrained and more
able to think outside the box. Unfortunately, for affected personnel they also tend to suffer in
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Joseph Worsley
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situations where there is one definite correct answer. This is due to two types of thinking;
divergent thinking and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking typically relates to more creative
thoughts while convergent thinking is a more definite logical thought process. When posed with
a problem, this trait helps to generate several solutions as opposed to one defined solution.

The parts of the brain most affected by ADHD also control attention and memory. Lack
of attention is understood and is typically what the condition is known for. A common oversight
is the changes in memory. People with ADHD tend to suffer in working memory. This type of
memory keeps track of important details, for example: vocabulary words, math formulas, due
dates, etc. This is another challenge to those affected by ADHD.
Many medications exist which claim to help focus and energy level. The effectiveness of
the drug and its side effects can differ wildly from person to person. Research has been done on
whether or not these medication may help or hinder creativity. While the results may vary
between individuals and medications, the majority seem to say that it doesnt actually affect
creativity at all. This means that if one were in a career of profession which requires a creative
mind, this person would not have to go unmedicated.
It is believed that the famous animator, Walt Disney had ADHD. He was never officially
diagnosed but it can be inferred from his past biographies and interviews. He co-founded Walt
Disney Productions with his brother Roy in 1923. Among the of his first animations, he created
the beloved character Mickey Mouse. He is considered one of the most influential people of all
time.

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Joseph Worsley
John Braswell
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Works Cited

R, Joseph The Right Cerebral Hemisphere NC live.com 1988

Treffert, Darold. Realities, Myths and Misconceptions.
Christensen, Tanner The Link Between Depression and Creativity, and How it Can Be Good
For
You. CreativeSomething.net 15. July. 2013
Snyder, Allan W.Ellwood, Sophie Chi, Richard P. "Switching On Creativity." Scientific
American
Mind 23.5 (2012): 58. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
"Beautiful minds." Canberra Times 11 July 2013: 16. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 17
Apr. 2014
Watt, Nick. "Mega-Brain." 20/20 (Abc) (2012): 1. Regional Business News. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Joseph, R. "The Right Cerebral Hemisphere: Emotion, Music, Visual-Spatial Skills, Body-
Image,
Dreams, And Awareness." Journal Of Clinical Psychology 44.5 (1988): 630-673.
Academic
Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Gibbons, Kaye. Ellen Foster, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hills, 2012
Kennedy, Daniel. An Analysis of Calendar Performance in Two Autistics
"Walter Elias Disney." 2014. The Biography.com website. Apr 25
2014http://www.biography.com/people/walt-disney-9275533.
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Joseph Worsley
John Braswell
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