Creativity in Young People With Depression Considered at High or Low Risk of Future Mania: A Prospective, Comparative Study.
Poster A20, Monday, October%208, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom
Eva Burkhardt1,2,3,4, Andrea Pfennig1, Gwendolin Breitling1,5, Steffi Pfeiffer1, Cathrin Sauer1, Andreas Bechdolf2,3,4,6, Christoph U. Correll7,8,9, Michael Bauer1, Karolina Leopold1,2,3; 1Universitätsklinikum Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 2Vivantes Klinikum Am Urban Berlin, 3Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain Berlin, 4Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health Melbourne, 5Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH, 6Universitätsklinikum Köln, 7Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 8The Zucker Hillside Hospital, Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, 9Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, Hempstead
The association between bipolar disorder and creativity may be related to symptoms of the disorder itself or personality traits present before the onset. To further explore the relationship between creativity and clinical risk for bipolar disorder, creativity among individuals with a history of depressive disorder and varying risk for future (hypo-)manic episodes was assessed and compared. 38 participants completed the diagnostic process, including Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Diagnosis, Hamilton Depression Scale and Young Mania Rating Scale. The early detection tools Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Interview and Scale-Prospective (BPSS-P), Early Phase Inventory for Bipolar Disorders (EPIbipolar) and Bipolar-At-Risk-(BAR)-criteria were used to assign participants into different at-risk groups. Assessment of creativity included Barron-Welsh Art-Scale (BWAS) and Creative Achievement Questionnaire (CAQ). Scores were compared between low- and high-risk groups for the development of bipolar disorder. Participants meeting BAR-criteria scored significantly higher on the BWAS than the non-BAR group (p=0.03). EPIbipolar groups did not differ significantly in creativity scores. Participants with mood swings, especially when associated with increased activity and euphoric features, had significantly higher BWAS-scores compared to individuals without mood swings (p=0.04). Mean CAQ-scores did not show significant differences between groups. Other risk factors like disturbances of sleep and circadian rhythm, substance abuse, anxiety, ADHD and behavioural disturbances in childhood or adolescence had no effect on BWAS- or CAQ-scores. Generalisability was reduced by the small sample size. There is evidence of increased creativity, but not of higher creative achievements, in persons at-risk of bipolar disorder. Mood swings are strongly associated with creativity.
Topic Area: Diagnosis and Phenomenology