The Sylvia Plath effect is a term coined by psychologist James C. Kaufman in 2001 to refer to the phenomenon that poets are more susceptible to mental illness than other creative writers. Kaufman's work further demonstrated that female poets were more likely to suffer from mental illness than any other class of writers. In addition, female poets were more likely to be mentally ill than other eminent women, such as politicians, actresses, and artists This finding has been discussed in many international newspapers, including the New York Times. The finding is consistent with other psychological research studies.
The effect is named after the American poet Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide when she was thirty years old.
CREATIVITY AND MENTAL ILLNESS?
Mental disorders and creativity are often considered to be related, particularly in pop psychology.
There is anecdotal evidence for a relationship between creativity and psychosis, particularly schizophrenia. James Joyce had a daughter with schizophrenia and had many schizotypal traits. Albert Einstein had a son with schizophrenia and was also somewhat schizotypal and eccentric. Bertrand Russell had many family members with schizophrenia or psychosis: his aunt, uncle, son and grand-daughter. Psychotic individuals are said to display a capacity to see the world in a novel and original way, literally, to see things that others cannot.
The association between bipolar disorder and creativity first appeared in literature in the 1970s, but the idea of a link between "madness" and "genius" is much older, dating back at least to the time of Aristotle.
The Ancient Greeks believed that creativity came from the gods, and in particular the Muses: the nine daughters of Zeus, the god of arts and sciences. The idea of a complete work of art emerging without conscious thought or effort was reinforced by the views of the Romantic era. It has been proposed that there is a particular link between creativity and bipolar disorder, whereas major depressive disorder appears to be significantly more common among playwrights, novelists, biographers, and artists
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