Where you find creativity you find ADHD

Is there a proven link between ADHD and creativity? There certainly does seem to be and a lot of research has taken place over many years into this relationship. I have collected some key academic texts in this area and present them here if you are interested in further reading or remain to be convinced.

‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neuropsychological disorder, marked by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, beginning in childhood and persisting into adulthood. ADHD may contribute to functional impairment in academic, vocational, and social situations. On the flip side, one benefit of ADHD may be exceptional creativity. Indeed, empirical studies suggest that individuals with ADHD have relatively high divergent thinking ability and may be less influenced by contextual constraints during creative activities. Collectively, these findings suggest that individuals with ADHD may excel at tasks or in situations that require divergent, unconstrained thinking.’ Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

1. ‘Shine bright like a diamond!’: is research on high-functioning ADHD at last entering the mainstream? (Lesch, 2018) https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.12887
2. Reduced emotional empathy in adults with subclinical ADHD: evidence from the empathy and systemizing quotient (Groen et al., 2018) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12402-017-0236-7
3. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: an Aboriginal perspective on diagnosis and intervention (Loh et al., 2017) https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/49365/11/49365_Loh%20et%20al_2017_accepted.pdf
4. Wrong Brains at the Wrong Time? Understanding ADHD Through the Diachronic Constitution of Minds (Dengsø, 2022) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41252-022-00244-y
5. Uninhibited imaginations: Creativity in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (White & Shah, 2006) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886905003764
6. Creative style and achievement in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (White & Shah, 2011) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019188691000601X
7. Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger’s, Depression, and Other Disorders (Wiener et al., 2011) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15332276.2011.11673601
8. Subclinical symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are associated with specific creative processes (Boot et al., 2017) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0191886917302209
9. Divergent Thinking as an Indicator of Creative Potential (Runco & Acar, 2012) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10400419.2012.652929
10. The link between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and entrepreneurial orientation in Japanese business owners (Wismans et al., 2021) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11301-020-00202-9
11. Dictating the boundaries of ab/normality: a critical discourse analysis of the diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and hyperkinetic disorder (Freedman & Honkasilta, 2017) https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687599.2017.1296819
12. ADHD and Creativity: A Meta-Analysis (Christiansson, n.d.) https://www.academia.edu/33822978/ADHD_and_Creativity_A_Meta_Analysis
13. The Coincidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Creativity (Cramond, 1995) https://www.academia.edu/49830492/The_Coincidence_of_Attention_Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder_and_Creativity_Attention_Deficit_Disorder_Research_Based_Decision_Making_Series_9508
14. How does creative giftedness differ from academic giftedness? A multidimensional conception (Zenasni et al., 2016) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1041608016302047
15. The Dark Side of Creativity (Liu et al., 2015) https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=59591
16. Creative thinking in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Abraham et al., 2006) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16754532/
17. ADHD and Creativity: A Meta-Analysis (Christiansson, n.d.) https://www.academia.edu/33822978/ADHD_and_Creativity_A_Meta_Analysis
18. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) enhances divergent thinking (Colzato et al., 2018) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29326067/
19. Characterizing Creative Thinking and Creative Achievements in Relation to Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder (Stolte et al., 2022) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35845437/
20. Creativity and Neurodiversity: Towards an Inclusive Creativity Measure for Autism and ADHD (Hayashibara et al., 2023) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372192010_Creativity_and_Neurodiversity_Towards_an_Inclusive_Creativity_Measure_for_Autism_and_ADHD
21. Correlates of Creativity: An Association Between Creativity, Personality, and Intelligence (Sadana et al., 2021) https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/qdby6
22. The association of creativity with divergent and convergent thinking. (S.F. & J.P., 2021) https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c453831b-24af-3a4d-adae-027d571bcb47/
23. Disentangling the Impact of Artistic Creativity on Creative Thinking, Working Memory, Attention, and Intelligence (Palmiero et al., 2016) https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01089/full
24. The positive aspects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a qualitative investigation of successful adults with ADHD (Sedgwick et al., 2019) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12402-018-0277-6