Does mental illness have a silver lining? New paper says yes
Research shows certain psychological disorders are associated with greater empathy, creativity, resilience and more
R. D. LAING WOULD AGREE
University of Colorado at Boulder
An estimated one in five U.S. adults live with mental illnesses, conditions that are almost universally characterized by their negative consequences. But there are also positive attributes associated with psychological disorders— and acknowledging them can reduce stigma, improve care and provide hope to patients and their families.
That’s the case made in a new paper titled Silver Linings in Psychological Disorders: An Agenda for Research and Social Change.
In it, University of Colorado Boulder psychology professor June Gruber and co-authors at Cornell University point to dozens of studies dating back decades, which associate mental illness with heightened creativity, empathy, resilience and other positive qualities.
“The prevailing narrative in clinical psychology focuses on mental health from a disease model perspective—we are taught to diagnose what’s wrong and try to fix it,” said Gruber, director of the Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Lab at CU Boulder. “This leaves out the fact that at the same time people struggle with mental health challenges, they may also grow, thrive and even develop unique strengths.”
Published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, the paper highlights evidence showing that people with mild schizophrenia, hypomania and bipolar disorder tend to score higher on measures of creativity and gravitate toward more creative professions.
“Some of the most creative minds in our society have also been the minds of people who had mental illness,” said Gruber.
People with a history of depression also tend to show more willingness to cooperate, research from Gruber's lab and others has shown.
One CU Boulder study of nearly 2,000 college students found that although those on the bipolar spectrum report greater social conflict, they also report significantly larger social networks and feel greater social support. Another study from Gruber’s lab found that while young adults at increased risk for mania tend to perceive even negative situations in an overly positive light, they are also better at detecting emotional shifts in others.
“Together, our findings show that along with well-documented social challenges that come with mood disorders, there may also be meaningful social strengths,” said Gruber.
In the silver linings paper, the authors note that many people in remission from mental illness look back on their darkest struggles as catalysts that helped them build resilience and self-awareness.
Take one 2019 study, led by Cornell Psychology Professor Jonathan Rottenberg, a co-author on the ‘silver linings’ paper. It found that 10 years after being diagnosed with clinical depression, 10% of study participants were “thriving” (meaning they were not only free of depression but had a psychological well-being better than one-quarter of nondepressed adults).
Gruber and Rottenberg said they do not intend to convey a “Pollyanna,” or “all-will-be-well” approach that glosses over the real suffering that comes with mental illness. But they do want to provide hope, rooted in data, that positive outcomes can occur.
They also stress that the paper is not a call to abandon medication or psychotherapy, which can be lifesaving. Rather, it is a call for a more holistic approach to research and care.
By acknowledging silver linings, Gruber believes her field can reduce stigma and potentially develop treatment plans that seek to preserve the unique traits people like about themselves while keeping the harmful elements of their illness at bay.
“If you have a more holistic understanding of a person, you can do more to support them,” she said.
Research shows certain psychological disorders are associated with greater empathy, creativity, resilience and more
University of Colorado at Boulder
An estimated one in five U.S. adults live with mental illnesses, conditions that are almost universally characterized by their negative consequences. But there are also positive attributes associated with psychological disorders— and acknowledging them can reduce stigma, improve care and provide hope to patients and their families.
That’s the case made in a new paper titled Silver Linings in Psychological Disorders: An Agenda for Research and Social Change.
In it, University of Colorado Boulder psychology professor June Gruber and co-authors at Cornell University point to dozens of studies dating back decades, which associate mental illness with heightened creativity, empathy, resilience and other positive qualities.
“The prevailing narrative in clinical psychology focuses on mental health from a disease model perspective—we are taught to diagnose what’s wrong and try to fix it,” said Gruber, director of the Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Lab at CU Boulder. “This leaves out the fact that at the same time people struggle with mental health challenges, they may also grow, thrive and even develop unique strengths.”
Published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, the paper highlights evidence showing that people with mild schizophrenia, hypomania and bipolar disorder tend to score higher on measures of creativity and gravitate toward more creative professions.
“Some of the most creative minds in our society have also been the minds of people who had mental illness,” said Gruber.
People with a history of depression also tend to show more willingness to cooperate, research from Gruber's lab and others has shown.
One CU Boulder study of nearly 2,000 college students found that although those on the bipolar spectrum report greater social conflict, they also report significantly larger social networks and feel greater social support. Another study from Gruber’s lab found that while young adults at increased risk for mania tend to perceive even negative situations in an overly positive light, they are also better at detecting emotional shifts in others.
“Together, our findings show that along with well-documented social challenges that come with mood disorders, there may also be meaningful social strengths,” said Gruber.
In the silver linings paper, the authors note that many people in remission from mental illness look back on their darkest struggles as catalysts that helped them build resilience and self-awareness.
Take one 2019 study, led by Cornell Psychology Professor Jonathan Rottenberg, a co-author on the ‘silver linings’ paper. It found that 10 years after being diagnosed with clinical depression, 10% of study participants were “thriving” (meaning they were not only free of depression but had a psychological well-being better than one-quarter of nondepressed adults).
Gruber and Rottenberg said they do not intend to convey a “Pollyanna,” or “all-will-be-well” approach that glosses over the real suffering that comes with mental illness. But they do want to provide hope, rooted in data, that positive outcomes can occur.
They also stress that the paper is not a call to abandon medication or psychotherapy, which can be lifesaving. Rather, it is a call for a more holistic approach to research and care.
By acknowledging silver linings, Gruber believes her field can reduce stigma and potentially develop treatment plans that seek to preserve the unique traits people like about themselves while keeping the harmful elements of their illness at bay.
“If you have a more holistic understanding of a person, you can do more to support them,” she said.
Journal
Current Directions in Psychological Science
Current Directions in Psychological Science
DOI
Method of Research
Literature review
Literature review
Subject of Research
People
People
Article Title
Silver Linings in Psychological Disorders: An Agenda for Research and Social ChangeLA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for ANTI-PSYCHIATRY
When schizophrenia meets a personality disorder: why more research is urgently needed
University of Montreal
A new study by a research team at Université de Montréal highlights a critical lack of knowledge about the cognitive profiles of people living with both schizophrenia and a personality disorder.
A comprehensive review of scientific literature from the past 24 years, published in Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, reveals that despite the high prevalence of this dual diagnosis (affecting approximately 40 per cent of people diagnosed with schizophrenia) and its association with unfavourable outcomes, the available data are surprisingly limited and fragmented.
“Our analysis shows a significant blind spot in current knowledge,” said Anouck Chalut, lead author of the study and a Psy. D. in neuropsychology from UdeM. “Little is known about cognition in people living with a personality disorder in addition to schizophrenia.”
Led by UdeM psychology professor Tania Lecomte—director of L'ESPOIR, a research laboratory in the Department of Psychology dedicated to improving treatments and services for people with severe mental disorders—the researchers combed through hundreds of scientific articles but found only 10 that met their criteria for scientific rigour.
“We found that the existing research is limited, fragmentary and sometimes contradictory, leaving clinicians with few clear guidelines,” noted Chalut. This gap is consequential because cognition is the strongest predictor of recovery for individuals living with schizophrenia, she said.
Significant health challenges
The combination of schizophrenia and a personality disorder presents considerable challenges, including more severe psychotic symptoms, serious functional impairment, reduced compliance with medication, more frequent hospitalization and increased risk of suicide.
Despite these challenges, people with this dual diagnosis are often excluded from clinical studies or grouped together with patients who have only schizophrenia.
“Our findings underscore the need to improve our understanding of these individuals and focus on their cognitive profiles to support functional recovery, given that cognition plays a decisive role in that process,” said Chalut.
The study offers concrete recommendations for both clinicians and researchers, including systematic screening for symptoms of personality disorders in people living with schizophrenia and the use of standardized tools to characterize cognitive profiles in this population.
The research highlights the need for further investigation into adapting treatments and therapies to the specific needs of these individuals, who are often overlooked in current research, the study team argues.
Approaches such as cognitive remediation – which aims to mitigate the effects of cognitive deficits and support strategies to strengthen impaired mental abilities, including memory, attention and problem-solving – could prove useful, the researchers believe.
About this study
“Cognitive deficits in individuals with comorbid personality disorder and schizophrenia: a scoping review,” by Anouck Chalut et al., was published in the March 2026 issue of Schizophrenia Research: Cognition.
Journal
Schizophrenia Research
Method of Research
Meta-analysis
Subject of Research
People
Article Title
Cognitive deficits in individuals with comorbid personality disorder and schizophrenia: A scoping review
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