Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Part I. Creativity and mental illness: the state of the field. 1. A socio-historical overview of the creativity-pathology connection: from antiquity to contemporary times / George Becker ; 2. The mad (creative) genius: what do we know after a century of historiometric research? / Dean Keith Simonton ; 3. Reviewing recent empirical findings on creativity and mental illness / Melanie L. Beaussart ... [et al.] ; 4. Building connections on sand: the cautionary chapter / Judith Schlesinger -- Part II. Cognitive and neuroscientific perspectives on creativity and mental illness. 5. Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying creative thinking: indications from studies of mental illness / Anna Abraham ; 6. The evolutionary genetics of the creativity-psychosis connection / Aaron Kozbelt ... [et al.] ; 7. Non-linearity in creativity and mental illness: the mixed blessings of chaos, catastrophe, and noise in brain and behavior / James E. Swain and John D. Swain ; 8. Artists' vulnerability to psychopathology: an integrative cognitive perspective / Mark Papworth -- Part III. Creativity and the spectrum of mental illness. 9. Creativity and the spectrum of affective and schizophrenic psychoses / Neus Barrantes-Vidal ; 10. When good is bad and bad is good: mood, bipolarity, and creativity / Geir Kaufmann and Astrid Kaufmann ; 11. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and creativity: ever the twain shall meet? / Dione Healey -- Part IV. Creativity and mental illness: possible commonalities. 12. The shared vulnerability model of creativity and psychopathology / Shelley Carson ; 13. On the fragility of the artist: art's precarious triad / Maja Djikic and Keith Oatley ; 14. Creativity as "compensatory advantage": bipolar and schizophrenic liability, the inverted-U hypothesis, and practical implications / Dennis K. Kinney and Ruth Richards -- Part V. Creativity and mental health. 15. Bringing the whole universe to order: creativity, healing, and posttraumatic growth / Marie J. C. Forgeard ... [et al.] ; 16. Inspiration and the creative process / Todd M. Thrash ... [et al.] ; 17. King Solomon and psychoneuroimmunology: creativity and life coping / Michael J. Lowis -- Part VI. Creativity and mental illness: what now? 18. Ruminating about mental illness and creativity / Emily C. Nusbaum, Roger E. Beaty, and Paul J. Silvia ; 19. Creativity and mental illness: reasons to care and beware / James C. Kaufman.

Are creative people more likely to be mentally ill? This basic question has been debated for thousands of years, with the 'mad genius' concept advanced by such luminaries as Aristotle. There are many studies that argue the answer is 'yes', and several prominent scholars who argue strongly for a connection. There are also those who argue equally strongly that the core studies and scholarship underlying the mad genius myth are fundamentally flawed. This book re-examines the common view that a high level of individual creativity often correlates with a heightened risk of mental illness. It reverses conventional wisdom that links creativity with mental illness, arguing that the two traits are not associated. With contributions from some of the most exciting voices in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, physics, psychiatry, and management, this is a dynamic and cutting-edge volume that will inspire new ideas and studies on this fascinating topic.