Your Future with Madness: The Relationship between Mental Illness and Career Goals

Abstract

Does someone’s mental illness, or lack thereof, affect their career goals? Mental illnesses can affect all parts of someone’s daily life. They can directly affect the personality traits of a specific person. But, do they also affect someone’s creativity levels? Do they affect someone’s future goals? In this study, I examine the exact effect that mental illness has on a person’s career goals and if mental illness can be used as an identifier of someone’s future path. The results of a unique survey comparing mental health and choice of college majors are presented. They show that students who identify as having anxiety and depression are more likely to identify as being creative and are more likely to major in humanities.