Obviously, I’m aware that that is the question they’re trying to answer. I was sharing personal experiences.
1 Like
The correlation between lower than average IQ and schizophrenia is well established, even if the mechanism is in all likelihood very complex, ranging from genes to the social impact of labeling. Any distribution comprising a large population, as it the case with sz, will include a very wide range of values and, consequently exceptions
1 Like
You seem a little touchy. It was a general observation rather than just being directed at you. No harm meant .
Then thanks for stating the obvious, I guess.
None of us is exempt from stating what will be the obvious to at least some other person.
1 Like
You can say what you want, firemonkey. I know you have social difficulties, but normally, when you reply directly to someone and explain very simple concepts to them, that is considered condescending and rude. Unless you have good reason to assume they actually don’t understand very basic concepts. So please forgive my reaction if that wasn’t your intention.
1 Like
This is me too, still to this day.
Painfully obvious I’m not like the others.
Here’s hoping I’ll derail the tension coming up…
I
Like
PI.
1 Like
In no way was I out to be condescending or rude. As said It was aimed generally but I found it easier to do so by replying directly to your comment. If it’s causing a problem then remove it. It was not my intention to slight you or upset you , and I apologise if I inadvertently have.
1 Like
Are we talking the steamy delicious kind or the irrational and transcendental kind?
Either way I agree and am now completely distracted from what I was posting about earlier.
1 Like
I have a personal opinion. I think most people w/psychotic illnesses like sz and bd do not have high functional IQ, because of impaired “working memory”. That is a very important domain of cognition. Another domain “executive function” is important for the us to reason, plan and organize thoughts. While available therapies might help with taking away the distracting positive symptoms, I think, we may still find it hard to be gainfully employed and participate in life in other typical ways, because we have issues with these core areas of higher level thinking and reasoning. What I mean is that (while adequately medicated, and living outpatient), while we might not be anxious, and our emotions might be more stable, or we might fortunately no longer hear and see things which distract us and make it hard to stay on task; we might still find that, even while medicated, we find it hard to think and orient ourselves in a way which allows us to control and understand and respond to the challenges or obstacles we might be facing at any time, and being able to dependably remember, percieve, interpret, and respond to things with insight and accuracy is an important part of leading a high quality life which involves being a social person, leading, and contributing to society through work or volunteering. To be able to do these functional behaviors to some degree is, in my opinion, a measure of relative success among a hastily drawn border which might be said to emcompass those who share in our struggle with managing these enduring life challenges.
2 Likes
There is evidence of intellectual decline in the period leading up to the first psychotic episode, and sometimes evidence of cognitive decline following that, but there is also evidence of lower intellectual abilities from an early age, long before mental health symptoms and the cognitive difficulties associated with sz appear.
1 Like
I know I have a harder time now with intellectual exercises post-diagnosis than I did pre-diagnosis. I could look at an issue and instantly see every part of it from start to end (speaking of best outcome, normally see a multitude). I can still do this, but to a lesser extent.
3 Likes
I don’t know how well I fit into this theory. I would say I’m brighter than my brother, but am not so sure about my parents and sister. If there is a difference either way I doubt it’s very large.
My cognitive deficits are non-verbal/spatial and executive functioning(NB organising and planning). Those were present long before I developed a diagnosable mental illness.
2 Likes
I happen to share those spatial and executive functioning deficits, and also in my case they come from way back. But the again OCD -which I’ve suffered from since childhood- is highly correlated with spatial deficits
2 Likes
I don’t think this is true. I am more intelligent than my other family members. Like much more intelligent. They are dumb, while I have pretty high intelligence.
1 Like
Pretty much everyone in my immediate family is really intelligent, even my dad, no matter how much I hate to admit it.
1 Like
I am one of those “high IQ” schizophrenics. I am chronically understimulated mentally. I am confident it opened up my brain to delusion since all of that mental faculty just went to waste on conspiracy.
2 Likes
That was very intelligently stated.
1 Like
I’m an Sz patient who works at a University as tech support and even in there people tell me I’m so smart I’m a pain in the as$. They tell me to quit being right so much of the time because it’s annoying.
2 Likes
In college I was tested and had a very high IQ. Yet here I am. My IQ has dropped since my brain lesions I’m sure. Plus my dr says I had a stroke so I’m sure that affects it too. But high IQ didn’t stop me from being diagnosed sza.
2 Likes