is-madness-in-your-family

Madness and Geniuses

Despite evidence of a link between genius and madness, no one has proved that such a link exists. Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder (Manic Depressive Psychosis)is often seen in the family tree due to hereditary genes. Scientists at the University of Toronto have discovered that
Jordan Peterson, University of Toronto psychology professor says,

"This means that creative individuals remain in­ contact with the extra information constantly streaming in from the environment. The normal person classifies an object, and then forgets about it, even though that object is much more complex and interesting than he or she thinks. The creative person, by contrast, is always open to new possibilities [source: University of Toronto]."

This means creative people possess little to no "latent inhibition."
Latent inhibition is the unconscious ability to reject unimportant or irrelevant stimuli.

1. John Nash (1928 - )
2. Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890)
3. Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849)
4. Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827)
5. Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)

What is common between them?
HowStuffWorks has selected these as Top 5 Mad Geniuses See Jane McGrath's article

Some of the world's most renowned creative minds, including writers Mary Shelley, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway; composers Irving Berlin and Sergey Rachmaninoff; and painters Paul Gauguin and Jackson Pollock are all believed to have suffered from the illness [source: Patient Health International].
these mad geniuses -- the famous thinkers and artists who may have experienced mental illness. First, we'll inspect the modern case of John Nash, whose schizophrenia has been sensationalized by Hollywood. Here you can take a closer look at the profiles of these eminent people: HowStuffWorks "Top 5 Mad Geniuses" by Jane McGrath

In fact, some scientists claim that a far greater percentage of creative types (poets, painters, musicians and the like) have been afflicted with bipolar disorder (manic depressive psychosis) than the general ­population.

9-Year-Old Math Genius Goes to College source REUTERS VIDEO
Watch this video about a 9-year-old math genius that is going to college. March Tian Boedihardjo is a true child prodigy, a math and statistics genius who was recently enrolled at Hong Baptist University; this makes Boedihardjo the youngest student ever to be admitted to the university. See how… (August, 2007)