Schizophrenia patients with high intelligence: A clinically distinct sub-type of schizophrenia?

anon79999497 · March 13, 2015, 5:13pm

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Schizophrenia patients with high intelligence: A clinically distinct sub-type of schizophrenia?

E Černis, E Vassos, G Brébion, PJ McKenna, RM Murray, AS David and JH MacCabe, European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists, Jul 2015

Schizophrenia patients are typically found to have low IQ both pre- and post-onset, in comparison to the general population. However, a subgroup of patients displays above average IQ pre-onset. The nature of these patients' illness and its relationship to typical schizophrenia is not well understood. The current study sought to investigate the symptom profile of high-IQ schizophrenia patients.We identified 29 schizophrenia patients of exceptionally high pre-morbid intelligence (mean estimated pre-morbid intelligence quotient (IQ) of 120), of whom around half also showed minimal decline (less than 10 IQ points) from their estimated pre-morbid IQ. We compared their symptom scores (SAPS, SANS, OPCRIT, MADRS, GAF, SAI-E) with a comparison group of schizophrenia patients of typical IQ using multinomial logistic regression.The patients with very high pre-morbid IQ had significantly lower scores on negative and disorganised symptoms than typical patients (RRR=0.019; 95% CI=0.001, 0.675, P=0.030), and showed better global functioning and insight (RRR=1.082; 95% CI=1.020, 1.148; P=0.009). Those with a minimal post-onset IQ decline also showed higher levels of manic symptoms (RRR=8.213; 95% CI=1.042, 64.750, P=0.046).These findings provide evidence for the existence of a high-IQ variant of schizophrenia that is associated with markedly fewer negative symptoms than typical schizophrenia, and lends support to the idea of a psychosis spectrum or continuum over boundaried diagnostic categories.

anon49185775 · March 13, 2015, 5:29pm

Holy ■■■■ balls. This is awesome!!!

There are other Pumpkin Kings?

JK I knew that there are other smart people with schizophrenia. I actually decided to go to class and quit abusing crap because of their stories.

neveragain · March 13, 2015, 6:13pm

e_lunaseer · March 13, 2015, 7:29pm

Cool, some validation for what some of us have been saying. Maybe also those higher IQ people gravitate towards one another so to them it would appear from experience that people with SZ are of a higher intelligence.

Maggotbrane · March 13, 2015, 8:57pm

Cool. Can they give this subtype a cool name sorta like aspberger’s vs autism?

e_lunaseer · March 13, 2015, 9:15pm

Schizotelligence?

Mottec · March 13, 2015, 10:15pm

Im a 135 IQ Schizo. I think the complexities of my voices is a result of this. Maybe higher IQ means more interactive voices, but Im just speculating.

yarnoldt14 · March 14, 2015, 12:02am

I tend to agree with you Mottec. My voices are complex and i get many compared to 1 or 2 standard sounding voices. I also get messages in the tv. They seem to play with the characters on screen as living avatars.

pob · March 14, 2015, 12:10am

It should be interesting to read more information in the future.

darksith · March 14, 2015, 12:51am

dark sith goes into the corner of the room with the ’ dunce ’ hat on…
take care…not so bright

Dreamscape · March 14, 2015, 9:25am

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?

pansdisease · March 14, 2015, 3:19pm

Pre antipsychotics, smart.

Post antipsychotics, dumb.

Don’t take antipsychotics, torture.

Comatose · March 14, 2015, 3:24pm

I was very smart before I got ill. I had a thing for finding patterns in large ammount of information. I had a very logic mind. But now…not so smart anymore. My psychologist says I’m more “normal” now.

martinhersey · March 14, 2015, 11:12pm

If it makes you feel any better, you can believe you’re in the sub-type class. Small consolation for being a SZ. It probably makes things worse. I suffer from an IQ of 133.

flybottle · March 15, 2015, 8:49am

What does it mean for this to be a ‘clinically distinct sub-type’? Maybe @mortimermouse can explain? Could, for instance, schizophrenia patients with a good social network be possibly classified as a ‘distinct sub-type’ as well? How is intelligence different from other factors that contribute to the course of the condition?

jacob · March 15, 2015, 9:02am

There are people that are intelligent and there are people who aren’t, the same goes with schizophrenia. In the past there was the diagnose mental derangement psychosis (debiliteitspsychose) but it was not tenable anymore.

anon2945297 · March 15, 2015, 9:06am

I have a low iq , yet am very capable. its not all about the IQ.

jacob · March 15, 2015, 9:10am

A doctor once called me mentally retarted because I didn’t say a word. IQ has to do with your understanding of things not how much you speak. I think that doctor was mentally retarted herself.

anon49185775 · March 15, 2015, 6:24pm

What intelligence is associated with is lower negative symtpoms, greater insight, higher scores on assessments of functioning, ect.

It’s basically proposing that highly intelligent people with schizophrenia are so different than the other people with it in their thoughts and behaviors that they are a different breed (so to speak) in the eyes of psychologists and psychiatrists.

anon49185775 · March 15, 2015, 6:27pm

That’s exactly my IQ. That’s a coincidence. I do believe that I suffer from it- I am expected to do great things and earn a doctorate. My friends and family all want me to become a psychologist, even my psychiatrist and therapist do.

It’s a burden. My girlfriend has a note on the wall of her room, it says “with great power comes great responsibility.” It’s a quote from Spider-Man.