ADHD - og den kreative personlighed

En god bekendt inden for et kreativt erhverv fortalte at han som elev havde antaget en ung mand der led af og blev medicineret for ADHD. Og som erklæret var handikappet, men som også gerne ville ind på en professionel bane som stillede krav om visuel kreativitet. 

   Min gode bekendte havde ikke fortrudt ansættelsen af den unge ADHD-mand. Han var ganske vist besværlig at omgås på en række punkter. Men han var utrolig hurtig til at lære, han havde masser af kreative ideer.

   Det var som om hans hjerne fungerede med 4 x normal hastighed, sagde min ven.

Jeg mødte den unge mand i forbindelse med at jeg viste mine akvareller frem, og det var meget tydeligt at de interesserede ham, og det viste sig at han selv tegnede og malede.

Min gode bekendte og jeg kom senere til at diskuterer om der faktisk kunne være en biologisk sammenhæng mellem kreativitet og ADHD. Og ved at google fandt jeg rigtig mange artikler der anførte at der meget vel kunne være en neurologisk kobling der.

Problemet for ADHD´ern er knyttet til den sindstilstand man på engelsk kalder arousal.
   En teori siger at ADHD-personligheder lider af mangel på indre kemisk stimulation fra dopaminsystemet og derfor har brug for ekstra stærk ydre stimulation for at aktivere det system til at kompensere for underskudddet. 

   Wikipedia:

The low arousal theory is a psychological theory explaining that people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seek self-stimulation or excessive activity in order to transcend their state of abnormally low arousal.^[1][2] The theory states that one with ADHD cannot self-moderate, and his or her attention can only be sustained by means of sustained external/environmental stimuli.^[2] This results in an inability to sustain attention on any task of waning stimulation or novelty, as well as explaining compulsivehyperactive behavior.^[3]

   A person with low arousal reacts less to stimuli than one without. This individual, according to Hare (1970)^[4] is "in a chronic state of 'stimulus-hunger'".^[5] To further explain, Mawson and Mawson (1977)^[6] claim that he or she needs more "sensory inputs" to feel normal.^[5]

   Without enough stimulation coming from the environment, an ADHD patient will create it him or herself by walking around, fidgeting, talking, etc. This theory also explains why stimulant medications have high success rates and can induce a calming effect at therapeutic dosages among patients with ADHD. It establishes a strong link with scientific data that ADHD is connected to abnormalities with the neurochemical dopamine and a powerful link with low-stimulation PET scan results in ADHD subjects.^[2]

Jeg har tidligere været inde på to af psykologien anerkendte forskellige personlighedstyper: HSS´erne - High Sensation Seekers - og HSP´erne - Highly Sensitive Person. 

    Og der er tilsyneladende argumenter for at HSS´erne og ADHD´erne har det til fælles at de er "low arousal-personligheder", som er i permanent dopamin-underskud, og som derfor hele tiden er mentalt og neurologisk sultne på at opleve nyt som kan øge dopaminen i hjernen. 

Symptomerne på ADHD er overordnet set: uopmærksomhed, hyperaktivitet og impulsivitet.

   Her følger en tekst der henviser til undersøgelser der kobler ADHD og kreativitet:

Is it possible that the impulsivity and quick-thinking that accompanies ADHD may also boost creativity? And what role does medication have in that creative process? Does stimulant medication hamper creativity, or boost it?

   The ADHD brain may not be held back as much by constraints on thinking. In a study by Abraham et al. (2006), adolescents with ADHD, adolescents with conduct disorder, and a control group were each assessed with creativity measures. The ADHD group was found to have a higher rate of being able to overcome constraining examples ("thinking outside the box"), but had difficulty creating an invention from an imagery task.

   In a study by White and Shaw (2006), people with ADHD were found to score higher than those without ADHD in a measure of divergent thinking (ie. coming up with creative solutions to a problem). However, people with ADHD did not score as well as those without ADHD on a measure of convergent thinking (ie. giving the "correct" answer to a test question).

   A later study by White and Shaw (2011) found that people with ADHD scored higher in original creativity and creative achievement than those without ADHD. It was also found that people with ADHD preferred generating ideas, while those without ADHD preferred clarifying problems and developing ideas.  

http://www.creativitypost.com/psychology/is_the_adhd_brain_more_creative