The clinical significance of creativity in bipolar disorder

Clinical implications of the high rates of creativity within bipolar disorder (BD) have not been explored. The aim of this review is to outline these implications by (i) reviewing evidence for the link between creativity and BD, (ii) developing a provisional model of mechanisms underpinning the creativity–BD link, (iii) describing unique challenges faced by creative-BD populations, and (iv) systematically considering evidence-based psychosocial treatments in the light of this review. While more research into the creativity–BD nexus is urgently required, treatment outcomes will benefit from consideration of this commonly occurring phenotype.