Writers have higher risk of mental illness, study says

Swedish researchers found that writers, more than the general public, tend to suffer from anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, substance abuse, and more.

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It’s been known to drive people to drink.

Now a new study suggests that writers also have a higher risk of mental illness.

According to a Swedish study, writers have a higher risk than the general population of anxiety and bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, unipolar depression, and substance abuse. They were also about twice as likely to commit suicide.

To reach these findings, researchers from the Karolinska Institute looked at the anonymous health records of nearly 1.2 million people over a 40-year period. Their results are published this month in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.

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