Several scientific studies have demonstrated correlations between creativity and mental illnesses, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Although the association between bipolar disorder and creativity first appeared in the literature in the 1970s, the idea of ​​a link between "madness" and "genius" is actually much older. It dates back at least to the times of Aristotle and the ancient Greeks, when creativity was believed to come from the gods, and in particular the Muses, the mythical personifications of the arts and sciences. More recently, the idea of ​​a complete work of art emerging without conscious thought or effort was championed in the Romantic era. beliefs about the artist's creative inspiration as a special gift belonging to a special individual and distinct from the rest of society. Today we know that psychotic individuals can often see the world in a new way and perceive what others normally do not see, displaying a high degree of creativity. Neuroimaging studies of the brain suggest, in particular, the importance of the activity of association cortices in unconscious states that lead to great creativity. Despite these studies, we must be extremely careful not to automatically associate mental illness with great creative art. As many examples of great artists who suffered from painful mental illnesses show (from the writer Virginia Woolf, to the poets Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and Robert Lowell, to the great painters Vincent Van Gogh and Edward Munch), great art also requires patience. , dedication and constant self-control to organize creative material in a coherent way. Creativity is one of the most valued human traits. It gave humans the ab...... middle of paper ...... more than the norm). For example, Emotional Illness and Creativity by Richard D. Chessick indicates that creativity and art, remember that mental illness, when the ego fails to achieve cohesion, can actually hinder the creative process. Works Cited Adams, William Lee. “The dark side of creativity: depression + anxiety × madness = genius?” CNN Blakeslee, Sandra. “An illness that allowed torrents of creativity.” The New YorkTimes April 8, 2008. Web.Chessick, Richard. Emotional illness and creativity: A psychoanalytic and phenomenological study. Madison: International Universities Press, 1999Greene, Graham. Self Author. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.McLean, Don. American “Vincent” cake. Performed by Don McLean. 1971. Audio.Stang, Ragna. Edward Munch: The Man and His Art. New York: Abbeyville Promotional, 1979. Print.