medwireNews: The risk for developing schizophrenia is significantly affected by an individual’s IQ, show results of a study of over 1 million Swedish men.
Researchers found that each 1 point decrease in IQ score was associated with a 3.8% increase in the risk of developing schizophrenia.
“The observed IQ-schizophrenia association does not, to any appreciable degree, appear to result from declines in intelligence in individuals undergoing an insidious onset of schizophrenia at the time of testing”, note Kenneth Kendler (Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA) and co-authors in The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Contrary to previous research, which suggests an association between “genius” and schizophrenia, the current study found no evidence of a link between these two factors. “Risk for schizophrenia in our highest IQ category was lower than that in the next highest group”, the researchers explain.
Well this is one study, there have been multiple studies saying the opposite. It is basically a fact agreed on by docs that the paranoid subtype is positively correlated with above average intelligence.
I got exempt from a final today because my grade was so high, so that makes me biased about paranoid schizophrenics and intelligence. Do keep in mind that the other subtypes are quite different. I mean very very different. What people with other types report on here is not what I experience. The downside to the paranoid subtype is a higher rate of crime, particularly homocide and assault. I assaulted people one night when I was back in my legally insane days and refusing meds. Somehow I did well in school at the same time and was in incredible shape. What looks so strong, so delicate. All it took was a little push and I went silverback gorilla on some friends.
Obviously if you tease out dsm iv sub categories there are probably differences,also between those with predominantly positive v negative symptoms. However that may not disprove the overall assessment .
I’d say sz caused my IQ to suffer rather than the other way around. Something like that. Mine was the highest in my class and I was already showing signs of the disorder.
