The ups and downs of smouldering talent

[image error]In Touched with Fire psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison argued that history's great artists were more likely to have experienced mood problems and especially the ups and down of 'manic depression' that fuelled their intense creativity. The idea is attractive, although her book relied on a case by case interpretation of often long-dead figures.

Nevertheless, a new study on almost three quarters of a million Swedish young people has found remarkable support for the theory where high school...