Relatives of Creative People More Prone to Schizophreniabr Gresham College - Museum of Londonbr "Great wits are sure to madness near allied, and thinbr partitions do their bounds divide" (Dryden).  There often seems to be a link between creativity and mental illness. Many great poets, playwrights, artists and composers suffered from depression, alcoholism, obsessionality, bipolar or psychotic disorders at some time in their lives.