Self-perceived relations between artistic creativity and mental illness: a study into lived experiences.

Aim: To explore the self-perceived relationships between experiences of creativity and mental illness and to understand the meanings behind these relationships.

Background: The idea that mental illness and artistic creativity are somehow related dates back to ancient times. There is some evidence for an actual correlation, but many questions remain unanswered on the nature and direction of the relationship.

[Autism as an example for an android].

Since its introduction in 1921 in the play R.U.R.

[Lyre and lancet: doctors as writers].

Many medical doctors have become famous writers or poets. The two professions do have similarities: both have a professional preference for people in a crisis situation, both need to come close to their subject while maintaining a certain distance, the relationship between the individual and the general plays a central role in the practice of medicine and writing, writing and healing are similar in many ways and stories play an important role for both doctors and writers. We discuss these similarities in this article.

[What can art contribute to medicine?].

Art is often used as a medical therapy, or in medical education for the students' all-round development. In this article we discuss whether there is a scientific basis for this use of art. We conclude that though it is true that on a number of points there does seem to be scientific evidence more research is necessary to really be able to speak of an important role for the use of art in medicine.

[Images of cancer: metaphors in the literature].

Metaphors of cancer were once rejected by Susan Sontag, because their existence slandered the patient. There are a number of very common metaphors about cancer and the question raised is as to whether forbidding metaphors is solving the problem Susan Sontag put to the fore. We conclude that getting rid of metaphors also makes it impossible for patients to use metaphors to feel better.

['Don't fence me in'. Portrayal in novels and TV dramas of illnesses that impose a limitation of movement].

Diseases that lead to a limitation of movement play a role in many novels, autobiographies and TV dramas. The cause of such diseases may lie centrally, in the central nervous system, or peripherally, in bones or muscles. They have great symbolic significance due to the loss of freedom imposed.

[Contagion in literature].

Contagious diseases are very suitable to be incorporated in novels. The fact that contagious diseases are by definition a social phenomenon provides these diseases with a social, political, moral and religious dimension, apart from the medical one. New scientific concepts about contagion are adopted in novels, elaborated further and even used metaphorically, for instance in the metaphor of contagion by ideas.

The effects of teaching medical professionalism by means of vignettes: an exploratory study.

The purpose of this study is (1) to evaluate whether an educational program for preclinical students has an effect on the knowledge of professional behaviour for clerks and (2) to study how preclinical students compare with advanced clinical students concerning this knowledge. The authors used an observer-rated test consisting of vignettes describing a dilemma concerning professional behaviour. Students' description of proposed behaviour was scored in one of three categories: unacceptable, acceptable or excellent.