Playing with Madness

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Description

In this classic program, Horizon discovers a surprising side effect of mental illness. Many manic-depressives are creative, and medical science has concluded that mental disorders and creativity may indeed be related. In fact, the relationship between the two has been known for many years. For example, the great artist Vincent van Gogh was a highly creative individual who suffered from a serious mental disorder. Experts believe that because manic depression involves periods of elevated mood, this could encourage creative endeavors. But the questions remain: Does this creativity exist in spite of the illness or because of it? And could it be that the illness becomes necessary to the creative achievements of these individuals?