[MUSIC] So, what does creativity have to do with mental health? In this section, we'll discuss the connections between creativity and mental illness, and how creative activities can be used to enhance mental health. The two following videos will discuss the specific benefits of music for mental health, and we'll also have an interview with an art therapist. Creativity is defined as the act of producing something new, that's both original and valuable. It is being described as the active principle of life, and is essential to the development of human civilization. Nancy Andreasen is one of the most prominent researchers on creativity and mental illness. According to Andreasen, the capacity to develop original or novel ideas, or to produce novel, beautiful, and useful artifacts is perhaps the most important cognitive trait that human beings possess. Andreasen's research has also showed that the creative process depends heavily on intuition and flashes of insight, rather than logic or analytical thinking. It involves developing multiple associations between different ideas, and arises from the unconscious. During periods of rest, when the brain is not actively thinking about a problem, the areas called association cortices are actually very active. This is the unconscious process of incubation, which leads to inspiration. [MUSIC] The links between creativity and mental illness have fascinated many people for centuries. Studies have shown that there's an increased rate of mental illness among people in creative occupations. In a large population study of over a million people, authors were found to be more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder than the general population. They also had increased likelihood of having depression, addictions, and suicide. Andreasen's research also showed an increase rate of mood disorders in writers. Creativity can be thought of as a silver lining, or a positive aspect of mental illness. People with bipolar disorder have particularly been found to have increased creativity. Certain types of creative thought patterns are more common in people with schizophrenia, or their relatives. Creative people use what's called a divergent thinking style, which means, they are more able to see many different answers to a problem. This means, they're more likely to think of new links between different ideas, but may find it hard to screen out irrelevant ideas, and may become easily distracted. They also tend to be more open to new experiences and rely on intuition or gut feelings more. Recent research into the arts industries in Australia has found high rates of mental disorders, and suicide across performing artists, and support workers in all industries. Some of the problems identified were long working hours, often working in isolation, or in adverse environments, financial poverty, and lack of recognition. Developing and using creativity can have many positive benefits. Creative arts therapies are recognized forms of psychotherapy, using artistic practices with a trained therapist. These include music, visual arts, dance, drama and writing therapies. Art therapy was originally influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and was often used in the asylum era. It is based on the idea, that a person's inner life is largely constructed with symbols and images, that help express what is difficult to articulate in words. There's emerging research evidence for the benefits of creative arts therapies. Music therapy has the largest evidence base, and will be discussed separately. Engaging with creative arts outside of a formal therapy can also have a positive impact on mental health. Creative arts can provide a vehicle for expressing emotions. According to psychological theory, experiencing and expressing a full range of emotions can lead to better psychological health. Collaborative activities such as singing in a choir, also lead to social connections. They allow for focused attention in the present moment that can be seen as a form of mindfulness. Expressive writing is a technique of therapeutic writing about highly emotional or traumatic events. This has been found to lead to improvements in physical and mental health, with some studies finding improvements in depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Creativity can be thought of as a process of personal transformation. Taking difficult experiences and turning them into objects of beauty or value. This is especially true for people in artistic occupations, who may have increased rates of psychological troubles, but actually use creativity to turn lead into gold, and create the beautiful or sublime. Some researchers have also studied everyday creativity, which refers to lifestyle and self-expression. For many people, the creative lifestyle can include an infinite variety of activities including cooking, gardening, home decoration, hobbies, making gifts or cultural participation. If you're interested in exploring creativity, we have a number of suggestions. Individual creative practice can involve any of the activities mentioned above. Choose an activity you enjoy to notice the benefits of expression, relaxation and mindfulness. Joining a group practice, such as an art or music group, can further enhance creativity through collaboration, as well as lead to social connections and benefit other people. Free writing is a technique often used by teachers to help their students release emotional blockages, and increase creativity. It involves writing continuously and without censoring for a set period of time. Expressive writing is a technique of writing about highly emotional or traumatic events, again, for a set period. This leads to improvements in physical and mental health. Structured problem solving is a technique often used in psychotherapy for anxiety or depression. This uses brainstorming, a type of creative thought to come up with many different solutions to an existing problem. Instructions for free writing, expressive writing, and structured problem solving are given in the resources section. [MUSIC]
