ADHD's Upside: Greater Creativity?

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ADHD's Upside: Greater Creativity?

Focusing issues may actually help those with the disorder think outside the box,

researchers say

Posted: March 17, 2011

By Maureen Salamon

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) -- The distractibility and impulsiveness

that is the hallmark of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have

a silver lining, according to a new study that suggests those with the disorder

are more creative than those without.

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Researchers gave 60 college students, half with ADHD, a series of tests

measuring creativity across 10 domains -- drama, music, humor, creative writing,

invention, visual arts, scientific discovery, dance, architecture and culinary

arts. The students also answered questions about their problem-solving styles,

including preferences for generating, structuring, refining and implementing

ideas.

The ADHD group scored higher on creativity across the board, the study authors

said, and also exhibited a greater preference for brainstorming and generating

ideas than the non-ADHD group, which preferred refining and clarifying ideas.

The study, a follow-up to one conducted in 2006, is published in the April issue

of Personality and Individual Differences.

" Personality traits like stubbornness could be seen as a negative thing or it

could be seen as a strength . . . and I think it's similar with distraction, "

said study author Holly A. White, an assistant professor of psychology at Eckerd

College in St. sburg, Fla. " But it can also mean they're open to a lot of

new ideas coming in. It allows for collisions of ideas we otherwise might not

see. "

ADHD, affecting approximately 5 percent of American youths, is a neurobehavioral

disorder characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity, disorganization and

difficulty focusing, among other traits. The condition persists into adulthood

in 30 percent to 50 percent of those affected.

The 60 University of Memphis students, whose average age was 20, were split

roughly equally between men and women. Half of the ADHD group was taking

stimulant medication to treat the condition at the time of the research.

White said the new study confirms prior research indicating that the lack of

inhibition ADHD patients display translates into out-of-the-box thinking. And

contrary to perception, she added, people with ADHD are often able to pay rapt

attention to a subject or activity if it's something they love.

" I really do believe while ADHD [defines] limitations in some areas, in others

it can be a strength, " White said.

" It's especially difficult for them to do something they don't enjoy, so they

may be misidentified as lazy or unintelligent, which is not the case at all, "

White added. " When they're enthusiastic and motivated about something, the ADHD

seems to disappear. "

Armed with these findings, young people with ADHD might be better able to seek

careers suited to their strengths and weaknesses, or to pursue fields that are

intrinsically motivating, where they would be most productive, the authors said.

But Milich, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of

Kentucky, said the study may not represent typical youths with ADHD because

participants were only comprised of college students.

" That means there's a whole group of ADHD kids who didn't go to college who

would never be in this study, " said Milich, who has studied the disorder for

decades. " These are people in college, so they've already crossed the main

hurdle. "

He also pointed out that prior research indicates those with ADHD tend to

exaggerate their skill set, so the self-evaluations used in this study may have

skewed the results.

" It's very hard to measure this whole topic, " Milich said. " The evidence is

clear they have an inflated view of self-efficacy. I don't see how this

translates to better achievement. "

But White and Milich agreed that ADHD medication, which is designed to dampen

troublesome symptoms, may also dampen creativity as a result.

" We want to find that line between being grounded and having their heads in the

clouds, " White said.

" Mental illness overlapping with inspiration is something I think has always

been true, " White added. " But it could be a creative advantage and potentially

is a gift. "

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more about ADHD.