The Hidden Link Between Intelligence and Depression

When I was a kid I assumed that at some point as I grew to adulthood that the adult world would finally make sense. I’m 62 and still waiting

"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." — Ernest Hemingway

: Realizing 95% of people are heavily chained by their pride and ego.

It’s frustrating when you can’t talk deeply with anyone, because talking normally is already deep for half of them.

"The more youre aware of what the world is all about, the sadder you become. But it's also incrediby validating." So, so true.

My dad told me when I was around ten that I noticed too much in life, and that I’d have a difficult time through life because I was so aware, made hidden connections, and immediately saw flaws in systems. He said it in the kindest, sympathetic way; it wasn’t an attack, or said to put me down. It was understanding and empathy in action. Got my autism diagnosis at 35, Asperger’s-style.

The social isolation of a high IQ is real. It often comes from both sides, without any malice or ill intent. Often, you just don't have anything to talk about with most other people. You don't think you're "better" than others, but you just can't find common ground. Others meanwhile might see you using an extensive vocabulary, or wandering off into topics that are too deep or obscure for their personal interest. At best, their eyes glaze over. All too often, they think you're showing off by using all those big words, when really it's just how you normally talk. Or worse, they might think you're somehow judging them, thinking to yourself how stupid they must be. Arrogance is too often assumed, and that only makes the rift grow even wider. It's lonely, and depressing.

In high school I had an IQ test, got 141 IQ. Realize in these days how cruel are human beings and never recover. 30 years later still can't adjust to a profoundly sick society. Thank you for putting in words what I am feeling and living.

Living with dumb people and beeing forced to do dumb things makes me sick and pulls me down. Not beeing able to live your full potential kills your whole life.

If you lose someone you love - grief is a contextually appropriate emotion. In a world of confusion anger and war - what normal person would not feel depressed ?

High intelligence + autism +depression makes it nearly impossible to be positive or functional around normal people. You see the problems, the lies, and the precipice long we are going over it. Some days you hope you're lucky and aren't here when it finally all goes over the cliff.

This is why I was on drugs for so many years I've been sober for almost three months and im learning to cope with being stuck here .

Learning that humanity can only thrive in ignorance has been a tough pill to swallow.

I was just thinking about this today, combine a high IQ and some form of childhood trauma and you will learn way too early that this world is a dark place...I remembered that I used to ask myself these questions when I was like 6 or 7 years old...why life on earth is the way it is, and what if everything was different? What if I was never born? What if I had different parents?What if there were no humans at all....couldn't find answers or talk to anyone about that and it always left me with a very unpleasant feeling in my stomach.

2nd grade I read at college level. While in 7th grade, they put me in 12th grade advanced math. The kids beat me up. They pulled me out and put me back into 7th grade class but gave me the advanced math work. The kids made fun of me for being stupid and "kicked" out of senior math. It was a no-win. IQ of 138. My dad told me every day I was stupid and no one would ever love me. He did things to me that should have put him in jail. I became really good at solving problems. It's been a lifetime of on and off depression. Thank you for filling in the blanks for me! I'm 60 now, and my life finally makes sense.

I was severely abused in my childhood, so I never had that idyllic phase. I also have a very high IQ. This episode really hit me between the eyes! I am 75 and have dealt with depression virtually my whole life. Your assessment of high intelligence and a clearer view of how the world really is makes perfect sense to me. And it makes sense of why so many people have told me over the years, "You take things too seriously!" I usually feel others don't take things seriously enough. Thank you.

I know people that watch TV all day; the same shows at the same times, sometimes new episodes, sometimes reruns… I used to think how sad of a life that was, but as I grew older, I realized they were extremely happy with their life and I was the one living the sad life. 😅

"So in conclusion, being depressed doesn't mean you're stupid, it might actually mean you're really smart. Being smart can suck sometimes because the world is kind of a crappy place. The end." This is exactly it 😭

I enjoy conversing with people, especially when I can go deep into topics, but I often find myself shifting my focus to meet other people at their level. It's not often that people try to meet me on mine. Not that shallow analysis of a situation is always a problem, but I like to dive deep into themes and patterns.

Sending so much love to all the gifted folks struggling to be well in a world that is anything but.