Someone sent this to my daughter’s facebook page. I know this is true, but it hurts just the same. I will put here my reply to it, please tell me what you think. Professional folks are welcome to reply as well as the regular folks like me. (well I’m a nurse but I’m not a psychiatrist by a far stretch). Opinions please! First, here is my reply:
Please don’t take this the way I don’t mean it, but this makes me extremely sad and made me cry. All my life I have been so proud that Kaitlyn had a high IQ. Some people with high IQs can’t even hardly put their shoes on because some have no common sense, but Kaitlyn was blessed with an abundance of common sense as well. She could have done anything with herself, anything at all. She had so many talents in her I guess it couldn’t all fit inside of her. She would have become a great doctor, she was great at everything she ever did and she was great at being a good person. And then people have to suffer because they are so intelligent that they can’t bear to live? What the heck does this mean? You’re cursed for high intelligence and you think more deeply, and you hurt so easily and you put too high standards for yourself, and all manner of things I don’t even know. Tell me how fair this is? Whoever rules the grand scheme of things plays dirty jokes. I knew what you said was true already. I’ve done lots of research. It just really hurts to know how true it is. All of the rest of the ignorant people that don’t give a hoot about anything go around happy as a hog in mud and people that achieve suffer and lots want to die like Kaitlyn did. Where is the fairness in that? Oh, I forgot, there IS no fairness in this god awful world.
BTW, my anger is not directed at you for putting up a post that is 100 percent true. Thank you for it and I intend to put it on my page and my blog.
My Bright Shining Star 
I had heard this same theory from my own psychiatrist. I guess he said it to make me feel better but I kind of had the same reaction as you. Like, my intelligence and creativity was now some kind of weakness and this was the last part of my brain I had to be proud of!
But, my bipolar feelings, in my experience, have nothing to do with my thinking mind. I am a teacher, a reader, a learner by choice. I have read everything I can on the disorder. Logically, I understand it. I know some of my triggers, I am learning some of my past hurts and dealing with them, I have plans in place for when I get too low.. Academically, I am set. But, when I am running high… I feel so good I can’t IMAGINE that I am bipolar. It all must be a misunderstanding. And when I am down in the depths, my mind is sinister. Telling me lies. It scares me. Everyday. That someday I will listen. So, I put “checks” in place when I am well and work so hard to get better. I can tell you, if I every did listen to my mind in those dark times…. I would wish I had a second chance.
I am very sorry for your loss. I hope that blogging has helped you work through some of your feelings. Sending you thoughts of peace and comfort.
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Rhonda, like Kaitlyn, I was a WHS valedictorian. I do not claim an especially high IQ (I don’t even know what mine is), but I do believe there is a correlation between high academic achievement and melancholy, if not depression. I know that, with a few exceptions, I was out of step with and isolated from my classmates; however, it may be more accurate to say I felt that way. I wanted to fit in more, but I also never wanted to dumb down my accomplishments.
I really have no idea if any of this fits in with what Kaitlyn felt, but I can empathize with her.
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Thank you Eddie. I really do think people with high IQs hves greater instances of depression. It’s so unfair though. Very, very sad. I never knew I had anything to worry about with her. She was so sweet and good and well adjusted. Gosh, more needs to be studied about this.
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It sounds to me like you try your very best to control your bipolar as best you can. There is so much more we have to learn about the brain we have not scratched the surface. Thank you so much for commenting and I wish you peace and happiness always.
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