Based on studies, schizophrenics score low on intelligence testing and creativity testing. Do you think it’s true? It’s taken a toll on my confidence.
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Lol, this is just the reason I don’t trust studies. I know I have high intelligence.
Everytime I go to my appointments, my psychiatrist points out how high functioning I seem and don’t appear mentally ill at all.
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I think they are more likely to be at the tail ends of the bell curve. Before schizophrenia, I was a college student in math with an above average IQ, I guess. I feel dumb now like I lost IQ points. I might be a minority but it’s not rare. Lots of smart people with schizophrenia and lots of dumb people with schizophrenia. There’s lots of smart and lots of dumb normies too…
I was never good at creativity or art or abstract thinking, but I was never into it. They say 10,000 hours of work in a specific field can turn anyone into an expert…
TBH, I’ve never had or made money in my life. My highest paying job was in retail making slightly above min. wage 13+ years ago part time…I feel like a failure or pathetic. But I tried college instead but got sick. I haven’t done anything since I got sick, really.
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Not to sound arrogant or crazy or a douche, but Richard Feynman’s IQ was only in the 120s and he won a Nobel Prize. I mean, he worked hard and was gifted in other areas and was a rare breed. He was unique. If he can do it, we can do it haha lol.
He wasn’t schizophrenic, but he also didn’t have an IQ of 140 or above, which is genius level.
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Iq is probably full of sh*t. I score very high on IQ tests but feel like I’m under the curve. At least I’m artistic. Creativity quotient tests are also full of it. I scored average yet SOME people consider my art profound.
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I wasn’t told I was grave or low functioning, but middle of the road. I cannot seem to work or do school. It might be a learning thing or personality thing because I just cannot seem to get out of third gear or neutral. I’m in park lol.
I’m flat out lazy, yet when I’m focused I can learn very fast, assuming it’s a visual way of learning. I have central auditory processing disorder, so it’s hard for me to learn verbally.
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My therapist considered me a genius. I don’t know if he said that to spark my confidence or if he actually meant it.
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I think you are. You seem like one to me.
this isn’t because people with SZ are unintelligent or uncreative. this is because SZs usually take unconventional methods or have what seem like strange answers to said tests. and because the proctors likely don’t recognize or simply don’t understand where this type of processing comes from, they just consider SZs to be unintelligent and uncreative.
i would actually argue that SZs would have above average creativity, because our brains chemically experience emotions at a much more rapid rate than a typical. (serotonin and dopamine overdrive, etc.) so, this allows for the output of art and other types of creative expression at a faster rate.
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also, on my lattermost note, more often than not, the most prolific and celebrated ‘creative geniuses’ of any age of human history are people that suffer from serious mental health issues.
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Well said, trying to see the more positive side of schizophrenia myself lately, I know it’s out there. I just haven’t looked hard enough.
All i know is that when i was actively psychotic i churned out 30 to 50 decent paintings and filled an entire sketchbook with off the wall tripy stuff. I’m proud of the art i created.
Meds dulled that for a few years. But just recently switched to saphris and go to a creative group every friday and so far have made 6 paintings for the 5 weeks its been happening. I’ll post a couple that i really like.
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As far as my own experience I might not be the smartest but I do consider myself creative… and I can be kinda smart at times.
Talking to the people on this site I think people are intelligent and a lot of them definitely creative.
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Collectively the evidence points to that being true. Individually not necessarily. By the very nature of things those of us who post here are less disabled as a group than those who can’t. If you’ve ever gone on the parents and caregivers forum you’ll know how true that is.
I used to be a lot more creative in my 20s and 30s than I am now. Speaking generally I’d say creativity lessens with age, be you a schizophrenic person or not.
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I am bugged when people call themselves schizophrenics. I think it’s better to call ourselves people with schizophrenia. I think it’s easy to let an illness define you, and you lose your identity as an individual. You can have a mental illness and be very intelligent and have a personality. We have to fight the stigma.
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I’m the opposite. I’m far better verbally than visually. There are those that claim that conventional IQ tests cease to be good measures of intelligence above 2SD. 130/132/148 depending on the standard deviation used. High range tests are seen by some as a way of measuring IQ reasonably accurately above the 2SD level. The biggest problem with hobbyist HRTs is not necessarily the quality of the questions, the questions can be perfectly fine. The biggest problem is the small number of testees on which norms for such tests are based, and the fact that testees are heavily weighted towards those of at least above average intelligence.
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It’s a difficult one for me as to which is best to use. Via Bing chat.
In the autistic community, there is a preference for identity-first language (IFL), such as “autistic person”, over person-first language (PFL), such as "person with autism"¹³. This preference is supported by surveys within the community¹².
However, it’s important to note that no community is a monolith, and individual preferences can vary¹. Therefore, it’s always best to respect each individual’s preferred terminology.
For example, while “autistic” is the most popular term, it only receives about 20% of the vote in a survey, with close contenders including “on the autism spectrum”, “has autism or has Asperger’s” and even the more medical "autism spectrum disorder"².
In conclusion, while “autistic person” is generally preferred, it’s always best to ask individuals about their personal preference. It’s all about respect and understanding. 
Source: Conversation with Bing, 01/05/2024
(1) Should You Say “Person With Autism” or “Autistic Person”?. Should You Say “Person With Autism” or “Autistic Person”?.
(2) Autistic Person or Person With Autism - Which is Appropriate? - Care.com. Autistic Person or Person With Autism - Which is Appropriate?.
(3) Autistic person, or person with autism? – DART. Autistic person, or person with autism? – DART.
Like I really get where you are coming from, I really do. A while back I was you but now I know it’s not true, I wrote some spoken word and also wrote a play to be performed by high school kids at the national drama festivals, it’s not Netflix or Hollywood but it proves I am creative. That’s my small win, a reason to smile, you know?
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