About one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental illness, conditions often defined by their negative effects. Yet research shows these disorders can also be linked to positive traits, and recognizing them may help reduce stigma and improve care.
A new paper, Silver Linings in Psychological Disorders: An Agenda for Research and Social Change, co-authored by University of Colorado Boulder psychology professor June Gruber and colleagues at Cornell University, reviews decades of studies connecting mental illness with heightened creativity, empathy, resilience, and other strengths.
“The prevailing approach in clinical psychology focuses on diagnosing and fixing what’s wrong,” said Gruber, director of CU Boulder’s Positive Emotion and Psychopathology Lab. “But people managing mental health challenges can also grow, thrive, and develop unique strengths.”
Published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, the paper notes that individuals with mild schizophrenia, hypomania, or bipolar disorder often score higher on creativity tests and are drawn to creative professions. People with a history of depression may also show greater willingness to cooperate and build social connections.
One CU Boulder study of nearly 2,000 college students found that while those on the bipolar spectrum reported more social conflict, they also had larger social networks and stronger feelings of social support. Another study found that young adults at higher risk for mania are better at detecting emotional shifts in others.
“Along with the well-documented challenges of mood disorders, there may also be meaningful social strengths,” Gruber said.
Many in remission from mental illness reflect on their struggles as experiences that built resilience and self-awareness. A 2019 study led by Cornell Psychology Professor Jonathan Rottenberg, a co-author on the silver linings paper, found that a decade after a clinical depression diagnosis, 10% of participants were “thriving”—experiencing psychological well-being higher than one-quarter of adults without depression.
Gruber and Rottenberg caution that their findings do not dismiss the real suffering caused by mental illness, nor do they suggest abandoning medication or therapy, which can be lifesaving. Instead, they advocate for a holistic approach to research and care.
“Recognizing silver linings allows us to reduce stigma and support treatments that preserve the unique traits people value while managing harmful symptoms,” Gruber said. “A more holistic understanding of a person lets us do more to support them.”
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