Frustration - decline in intelligence

For me I’m not sure there’s been a decline other than the inevitable age related one. Having said that intelligence is something I’m insecure about. I swing from “Yes, I’m intelligent” to “Oh boy,how stupid can you be?”. I think a lot of it has to do with having quite a spiky profile. I tend to veer more to “How stupid can you be?” .

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wait, your’e a girl?

sorry to get off topic.

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Hows Phil doing Daze?

he’s good, still sleeping right now

got real mad at me yesterday for not covering the dog bill

he’s got many days off from work over the holiday

I hope all his tests come back ok.

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I used to be smart, but now I am dumb. I think i had a huge decline and it hurts. I understand.

I did a test a year ago. I was in tears after…a few subjects were still okay, but most were such a struggle. My memory was near photographic, and now i calculated my results in the working memory test - I scored like someone with brain damage. I refused to get the results, so horrified was i.

They said i still scored in the gifted range overall so i shouldnt be sad. But - I - notice how stupid i am nowadays, how i can barely concentrate or remember things or struggle finding words or overseeing things.

I blame meds 75% and illness and stress 25%, i think.

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I’m confused Who are you talking to?

You! Is that a pic of you in your profile?

all this time I thought you were a guy.

That’s a pic of me before my haircut. I’m definitely a man,though not the most manly of people.

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oh, hehe, alright

I can never tell these things.

I have my good and not so good days thinking wise. I suspect that’s the same for most of us. I think quite a lot of us though not intellectually challenged, and indeed quite bright, may have signs of what you Americans call a learning disability. A lot, for example, struggle with executive functioning/processing speed and working memory issues .

I’m not sure meds directly help much. However I think they help indirectly in that being in a full blown,unmedicated, state of psychosis is not conducive to optimal thinking.

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I used to consider myself intelligent. But, since I have gotten sick, I really struggle.
I was an EMT for 6 years, I learned Japanese(they use three different writing systems), and I have two associate degrees. I used to be able to memorize things really easy, that is why I was so good at being a paralegal and EMT.
But since my illness I have trouble expressing myself. I struggle to get my words out and I sometimes forget what I am trying to say in mid sentence. It is soo Soo frustrating not to be able to talk correctly. I feel so dumb. I struggle with my memory now too. The days kinda seem to just blend in to one another. I sometimes can’t remember what I just did a day or two ago but I can still remember what happened to me when they put me in a lockdown facility. Why can’t I just forget the lockdown experience and keep the good memories, grr.
I blame the stress/anxiety somewhat for the decline but I also think some of the decline was help initiated by the meds.

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@Priscillame. I had trouble when locked in a ward too. I’m sorry it was so traumatic for you.

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Thanks @LilyoftheValley

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I have lost mental sharpness through age and the meds. I am bit of a blunt knife. But I now know I knew jackshit when I was young and thought I knew everything.

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From going on and off meds so many times, ( dont go off meds ) i can tell you APs make a person shiit dumb !!

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I’ve wondered if it’s the APs.

I saw a psychologist for some sessions and she said that going off meds and giving psychosis free reign harms your brain. The meds protect you even if they make you slower.

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It’s high doses that can adversely affect cognition. It’s less of an issue nowadays than when I was first on APs in the mid 70s.

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Some people experience minimal side effects like cognitive impairment and weight gain.

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I graduated 2 year college with 4.0 gpa and had a 3.5 gpa at my four year college. I did my papers that were due that day within an hour or two at the computer lab, typing over 200 wpm. I got As on most of those papers too. Nowadays I get overwhelmed by that easily. Maybe later in my life I can regain that.

I’d like to think I still act like an intelligent person despite not being able to do certain things cognitively.

Also, it hasn’t affected my typing speed.

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