Psycho-Babble Psychology Thread 1416

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Sanity and I.Q.

Posted by Jason Dicks on October 27, 2002, at 7:22:02

Disorders consuming my brother: Avoidant Personality, Attention Defecit, and Bipolar. Even with medication he can hardly function. He recently tested his IQ to apply to Mensa, and got "140". I've heard of this before. WHY and HOW are intelligent people so prone to mental illness?

Re: Sanity and I.Q.

Posted by oracle on November 1, 2002, at 16:28:36

In reply to Sanity and I.Q., posted by Jason Dicks on October 27, 2002, at 7:22:02

> WHY and HOW are intelligent people so prone to mental illness?

I don't think they are, the crazy smart ones just get the press. We also tend to remember the "people with so much to loose". I have seen
no studies on this, it is just a common assumption
that smart people and creative people are more prone to mental illness.

20% of the population has mental illness, I do not see this distrubution is any higher in creative people or smart people. MENSA meetings
do not have lots for crazy people. I music school
I did not find more mental illness than normal, EXPEPT the "prodigy" who had been in a practice room 8 hrs a day since they were a kid.

I also think some assoc mental illness with low intelegence or that if one was smart they could "think themselves out of it". So when they can't this sticks in our minds.

In terms of creative folk, I find they are more willing to talk or express their mental illness.
Often this is expressed in their works. So we hear about their mental illness more than we do from the general population. It is also very hard to create if you mentally feel like hell, you have to be intouch with feelings to create. So I think this drives creative people to seak treatment before others.

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