Authors: 'Crazier' than others

It's been scientifically proven for some time and when it comes to some, it is hardly a surprise. 

• 

  The Karolinska Institute has proved what for years has been something people thought was true: Artists (especially authors) are more susceptible to psychiatric disorders than others. The haunted look of Swedish author August Strindberg (1849-1912) is evident here. During his lifetime, Strindberg suffered a number of breakdowns, which seem to have stimulated his writing.

• Authors: 'crazier' than others
  It's been scientifically proven: Authors are indeed "crazier" than other folks. The old notion of artists and scientist being more odd than the rest of us, well, it’s actually true. A study conducted at the Karolinska Institute shows that creative people are more often than others treated for psychiatric problems. And the connection is especially strong when it comes to authors and schizophrenia.

• 

  The Swedish Museum of Photography produced a fascinating exhibition about the author, which looks at the renowned multi-talented artist in a new way, suggesting his public person was partly his own creation and a way to build an image of himself. The show is on view at the American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis from June 14- October 26, 2014.

• “People with schizophrenia often make hasty and unexpected associations,” says Simon Kyaga, senior physician in psychiatry at Karolinska.
  “There are also studies that show they are better in drawing logical conclusions that are in contrast to what is already known, which may explain why people with schizophrenia are over represented among famous scientists.”
  The study, which was published in Journal of Psychiatric Research in 2012, is the greatest conducted among the Swedish population. Not only does it include 1.2 million patients who have been treated, but also their relatives, all the way down to second cousins.
  One of the diagnoses, bipolar disorder, can be found to a higher degree among people with creative and scientific careers such as dancers, photographers, researchers and writers. Writers are troubled with the most psychiatric diseases: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety symptoms and substance abuse. They also suffer an increased risk of suicide—50 percent higher than the rest of the population. Even the relatives of the patients often had creative careers, the study shows.