The epidemic of "misdiagnosis" of mental health problems in the "gifted" community
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Let's just say it can be a "BIG CHILL" for people who at least sometimes are building their lives around being "SMART"-- to be told that there is something wrong with their BRAINS.
Well, if problems start arising for "Gifted" Children it's NOT easy, but it is EASIER, to change their environment than it is to change the environment of Adults---- especially if those Children are surrounded by middle class loving parents and caring & innovative teachers with resources. Now in some cases, what are some educators and specialized mental health professionals finding ---- IT'S A MIRACLE -- once we started addressing the child's emotional & intellectual needs -- the symptoms of mental illness seemed to dissipate -- that was a MISDIAGNOSiS. While we think historians will be unpacking the ramifications of the DSM 5 DEBACLE in our society for sometime, even if ---as we contend-- the Mental Health Profession is grossly incompetent --- the person can still have "mental" problems. And that's really a lot of the problem with the "ANTI-PSYCHIATRY" movement which is sometimes led by white "gifted" adults who are PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVORS. Why are they "PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVORS"? Well there are a lot of pretty harrowing tales, including actual rape, but 2 of the most common complaints are:
Further, most of these Psychiatrists & Therapists have NO TRAINING -in "giftedness" or "twice exceptionality" --- and they have a pretty lay person's understanding of what "giftedness" is -- a/k/a "perfection." Further, these Psychiatrists and Therapists really are not CLUED IN to:
By and large, most Psychiatrists & Therapists are NOT trying to be "grossly incompetent," "clueless" or "insensitive" --- and for the most part they couldn't be more well-meaning. Most people are acutely aware that they are NOT perfect, and some "gifted" people -- may be even more aware. So when the mental health profession wants to concentrate on the person's flaws and is often OBLIVIOUS to the advanced abilities the "gifted" person possesses --largely because the profession can't even recognize those abilities even if they are staring them in the face --- that is true EXCRUCIATING PAIN for the ultra sensitive "gifted" person. So for some "gifted" people life turns into a NIGHTMARE in which they may not escape from mental illness and they could even find themselves in prison ---- AND THEY ARE IN THE STRUGGLE OF THEIR LIVES TO MAINTAIN THEIR SENSE OF SELF. COMING CLEAN I really struggled to write about the "sensitivity" and "emotional intensity" of "giftedness" in a less than flattering way---- because it sounds a lot like some kind of "personality disorder." While I think "giftedness" can be a wonderful thing --- I do think that what it has in common with "mental disorders" and for that matter "personality disorders"--- is often NEURO-INFLAMMATION. Further, that EMOTIONAL INTENSITY that is a hallmark of GIFTEDNESS sure sounds like a euphemism for EMOTIONAL DYSREGULATION at least in some to many cases. That doesn't mean that every "gifted" person has mental illness and/or a sensory processing disorder (see below)---- but gifted people do seem to be at a much higher risk of these challenges. |
When we say "sensitive" we mean ultra sensitive to the environment both emotionally &/or physically.
You also see "giftedness" a lot in JAIL HOUSE LAWYERS who may not have had those middle class parents & innovative teachers with resources.
So we are NOT arguing that therapists should IGNORE weaknesses.
But it is really more effective to spend 80% of the time on developing strengths. By doing that, one can often reduce the expression of those "weaknesses" although probably not eliminate them. As Dr. Gail Saltz advises, spend 20% of the time on WORKAROUNDS for weaknesses. It is really important to recognize that:
Some people with "mental illness" are DEVELOPMENTALLY DIFFERENT than the majority, and we think many of those differences involve increased sensitivity to stimuli that can be very overwhelming in the case of Autism and disabling in some cases of mental illness. Using the person's SENSITIVITY for them as in a STRENGTH-BASED APPROACH has a much greater chance of success than the current DEFICIT model. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, mental illness can be expressed as:
Genes x Environment x Age |
Star Institute is located in Centennial, Colorado
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A pilot study by the STAR Institute found that the 35% of the children in one large sample (n=550) from a gifted and talented center exhibited symptoms of SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder).
This is significantly more than the 5% that pilot studies have found in the general population. |
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ZDoggMD
The Curse Of The Gifted (w/Dr. Blair Duddy) | The Challenges Of High IQ Children (2018) Orchid Note: We don't buy into IQ tests --- but we do think a lot more "gifted" kids wind up INCARCERATED than anybody realizes and a lot of those "gifted" kids are low income or racial or ethnic minorities. We do think a lot of the problem is people getting "bored" -- BUT that is also paired with extreme emotional and physical OVEREXCITABILITIES that are at least equally as important. Additionally, our Society has developed some counter-productive MYTHS about what it means to be "GIFTED." Most importantly, GIFTEDNESS often comes with EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING CHALLENGES that may be related to information and sensory processing OVERLOAD. |
Autism & Sensory overload
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ABC News -- 20/20
Non-verbal girl with Autism speaks through her computer @7:02 of the video to the left: "Carly -- Why do Autistic kids cover their ears, flap their hands, hum, and rock?" Carly types: "It's a way for us to drown out all sensory input that overloads us all at once. We create output to block out input . . . " |