Creativity suppression
Creativity suppression is a decrease in both a person's motivation and capabilities when performing tasks that involve producing artistic output or novel problem-solving.1 This effect may be particularly frustrating to deal with for artists of any sort as it will induce a temporary creative block.
Although creative subjects paradoxically more often have a history of depression than the average, their creative work is not done during their depressions, but in rebound periods of increased energy between depressions.12
Creativity suppression is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as depression3, anxiety, and emotion suppression in a manner which further decreases the person's creative abilities.1 It is most commonly induced under the influence of moderate dosages of antipsychotics145. However, it can also occur due to SSRI's6 and during the withdrawal symptoms of almost any dopaminergic compound.5
References
External Links
Citations
- Flaherty, A. W. (2005). Frontotemporal and dopaminergic control of idea generation and creative drive. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 493(1), 147-153.
- Jamison, K. R. (1989). Mood disorders and patterns of creativity in British writers and artists. Psychiatry, 52(2), 125-134.
- von Hecker, U., & Meiser, T. (2005). Defocused attention in depressed mood: evidence from source monitoring. Emotion, 5(4), 456.
- Moncrieff, J., Cohen, D., & Mason, J. P. (2009). The subjective experience of taking antipsychotic medication: a content analysis of Internet data. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 120(2), 102-111.
- Szmulewicz, A., Samamé, C., Caravotta, P., Martino, D. J., Igoa, A., Hidalgo-Mazzei, D., ... & Strejilevich, S. A. (2016). Behavioral and emotional adverse events of drugs frequently used in the treatment of bipolar disorders: clinical and theoretical implications. International journal of bipolar disorders, 4(1), 6.
- Bolling, M. Y., & Kohlenberg, R. J. (2004). Reasons for quitting serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy: paradoxical psychological side effects and patient satisfaction. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 73(6), 380-385.