19. Creativity with ADHD
Author: Ulrich Brennecke
Review: Dipl.-Psych. Waldemar Zdero
It is discussed whether people with ADHD show a higher level of creativity than people without ADHD. It is discussed that this could be a consequence of the disorder and not a character trait.1
Our questions about creativity in the ADxS.org Symptom Test V2 did not show significantly increased levels of creativity (and intuition) in (adult) people with ADHD. It is possible that the question was too simplified.
A meta-analysis of k = 31 behavioral studies on creativity and ADHD found evidence in most studies2
- increased divergent thinking
- in people with high but subclinical ADHD levels
- but not in people with diagnosed ADHD (clinical values).
- increased values for creative skills and performance
- no evidence of an increased ability for convergent thinking in ADHD
- no negative effect of psychostimulants on creativity.
Ten, Tseng, Chiang, Wu, Chen (2019): Creativity in children with ADHD: Effects of medication and comparisons with normal peers. Psychiatry Res. 2019 Nov 5:112680. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2019.112680. n = 86 ↥
Hoogman M, Stolte M, Baas M, Kroesbergen E (2020): Creativity and ADHD: A review of behavioral studies, the effect of psychostimulants and neural underpinnings. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2020 Dec;119:66-85. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.029. PMID: 33035524. REVIEW ↥