Creativity - Can Depression Really Increase It?
Depression is the state of mind when a person turns hopeless or helpless. Simply put, it is one of those experiences when one may feel sad, lonely, dejected and discouraged. Doubt, anxiety and uncertainty crawl in so much so that they may lead to problems in decision making. A depressed person feels devoid of energy and the motivation to do anything at all seems to have disappeared. And all this may happen for no reason at all. At least not any that can be explained to even the closest of one's family and friends. Surveys have shown that more than 7% of the world's population suffer from some or the other forms of depression.
Depression Helps Creativity: Myth or Fact?
Moving on to the several popular myths associated with depression, one of the most common ones is that 'Depression increases creativity.' The truth is however exactly the opposite. No, depression does not trigger creativity. In fact, creative geniuses like writers, painters, musicians, etc. seem to be more prone to the threats of depression.
Creativity, like everything else, comes with a price to pay: Worth it or Not?
The reason for the cause-effect relationship between creativity and depression is quite simple yet stunning. Creativity requires sensitivity, which makes one emotionally vulnerable. A creative person tends to think a lot about everything and that is what makes him re-visit the past incidents in his thoughts so frequently that he may feel the bruises over and over again. And this is what leads to depression. Thus, creative people tend to be easy victims of depression. They take everything seriously, observe things and incidents closely, think a lot over things and gauge various possibilities related to every event, big or small vividly and this is what makes them both creative and depressed. Yes, they can connect the dots and create but there is a price to pay. As they say, an artist's mind is a terrible place to visit.
Therefore, depression does not increase creativity. Instead, depression is like a necessary evil for nurturing creativity. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Psychiatrist.
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