This paper explores several articles that report on results from research conducted on highly intelligent individuals and their relationship to mental impairments. Although the articles may vary in their reasoning, they each draw to similar conclusions regarding the correlation between these. Ruth Karpinski et al. suggests that highly intelligent individuals tend to have “intellectual overexcitabilities” and hyper-reactivity of the central nervous system, which can aid in their creative and artistic capacities and can also lead to depression and poor mental health. On the other hand, Nicholas Pediaditakis suggests temperament to be of great significance when considering the relationship between intelligence and psychological disorders. He asserts that highly intelligent individuals share a similar skewed temperament with those who are vulnerable to psychological disorders and it is due to their behavioral traits that a premorbid personality develops. Laura Summerfeldt and Stella Mavroveli both analyze the concept of emotional intelligence as it relates to social anxiety, noting that there exists an association between low emotional intelligence and anxiety–particularly in the inter- and intrapersonal domains. As the determination of whether there exists a concrete relationship between intelligence and mental illness remains fairly elusive, this paper seeks to analyze the effects of intelligence as it concerns mental health.

Intelligence and Psychological Disorders
Intelligence is defined by the capacity to self-discover knowledge and patterns from a world filled with uncertainties and infinite possibilities. It is a multifaceted and multi-layered construct that has inspired various forms of literatures concerning its definition, measurement, and implications. An individual who is considered to be “highly” intelligent has a remarkable capacity to perceive and conceptualize these vast uncertainties, possibilities, and problems. Possessing a rather high intelligence is often praised for being predictive of positive life outcomes (including success in education and levels of income), and is a positive indicator of high system integrity. However, little is ever considered regarding the psychological challenges experienced among individuals of this population. Interestingly, the eccentric tendencies of genius are oftentimes associated with mental illness. There exists a host of writers, artists, and other rather remarkable individuals throughout history who have been plagued by mental disorders. As such, intelligence can serve as either a catalyst for empowerment and self-actualization, or it can be a predictor of dysregulation and painstaking debilitation.
Literature Review