Skip to main content

Intelligence Depression Pie

If you have above average intelligence, then chances are you have encountered some level of mental health issue like anxiety, depression, ADHD, ASD, and the likes.  This is no coincidence.

Research shows that high IQ people are significantly higher at risk of developing mental problems because of the hyper brain and body sensitivity.

My personal experience jives with this.  For the record, my IQ is 134.

I have many friends who have even higher IQ then mine and all of them suffer from some form of mental issue, often multiple problems.

So here is the PIE equation.  PIE = IQ + EQ (mental health).  As you can deduct, the higher the IQ the lower the mental health.

Many high IQ people know their mental problems and, being smart, develop coping mechanisms to live with the 'down' days, lack of motivation, anxiety, and so forth.  The problem is that many will try to 'outsmart' their condition(s) by telling themselves that they are smart enough to deal with it on their own.  I suspect that, even though the research above suggest otherwise, high IQ people's mental health is under-reported.

In the era of so called 'A-team' or 'A-type' work culture, the problem of high IQ people is just putting oil on fire.  Why?  These work environments exploit the brain power but provide next to nothing in terms of support for the 'cost of smarts' which is mental health.  Smart people are stimulated by the intellectual demands of such work but tend to over work their brain and further accelerate their mental problem.  Again, look at the PIE.

Smart people are also very good at hiding their 'deficient' mental state which makes it hard for others to recognize the presence of a problem.  Generally, when others realize that there is an issue, it is already too far along for a layman help.  At this point, only a therapist can help which is another problem.  Smart people can sense when a therapist is of lesser IQ or have never experienced mental health problems which often leads to dismissal of their expertise.  There are specialist psychologist who focus on dealing with high IQ patients for this very reason.

If you are one of these high IQ people, contemplate what I said and seek a specialist.

If you are someone who has loved ones, friends, or employees with high IQ, please ask supportive questions like 'How are you today?' 'Can I help with something?' 'Do you need anything?'.  Then listen well and do as asked.  Sometimes the sheer question will make us feel better (knowing that you care) even if we don't ask for anything.  Keep asking.

I frequently post tips on Twitter
@depressionroad1
#depressiontips #DRoad

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Functional but Blue

Many of us with depression are highly functional which makes it even more difficult to decide on getting help. You don't have to go very far to see what I mean.  Michael Phelps is arguably the greatest swimmer in history and also a spokesperson for talkspace , an online platform that offers convenient and affordable therapy. Functional doesn't mean healthy! Finding joy in our everyday activities, looking forward to the next hour and things that are coming, waking up with drive, and feeling no dread/fear/anxiety about what's coming is where your life could be... so start walking the depression road one step at the time. Tip: Put yourself to the test! 1. Ask yourself each evening what portion of the day you spent feeling that you did chores (this is not the activity but the general feeling of having to do rather than wanting to do). 2. Keep tabs for two week. 3. If you spend more than half of your time this way, it is time to change something and feel better. Only

Depression with Bidirectional Illnesses

Depression with Bidirectional Illnesses I've said this before... depression doesn't walk alone in most cases. The importance of this cannot be emphasized enough because the coexistence of conditions often lead to worsening conditions. The constant exposure/experience of the simultaneous illnesses often end up in competition for attention which feed the cycle and make things worse for both (or multiple conditions). While I cannot list all combinations in this post, I'd like to illustrate the point with some common occurrences. Depression and Insomnia It has been proven by research that insomnia is a huge risk factor for depression as well as a consequence of depression. This is not hard to understand. In layman terms, those of us who don't get enough sleep often experience lack of energy, memory problems, and a host of other symptoms that make normal functioning of body and mind difficult on a daily basis. The frustration with not being able to do all the thing

Exercise is Natural Medicine for Depression

I know what some will say... I just can't get myself moving.  If you need motivation, here is a reason why.  Exercise increases neurotransmitters, the stuff in the brain responsible for regulating physical and mental well being. Here is some research you can read. For my money, you don't have to be an athlete or exhaust yourself to get some benefit from exercise.  Start slow and small, then increase intensity as you get better.  The most important thing is to do something every day so you body develops a 'need' for moving.  I'd say you'll feel that 'need' in about 3 weeks at which point it becomes easier to get going.  Developing this healthy habit will help with your depression. Many will also say that exercise takes time which they don't have.  As my mother said, "you have time for what you make time for".  You can do something just about anywhere! If you think that exercising requires money, I'll show you how you can get in sh