IQ affected by mental health?

Hello @Autist35,

I have heard that neuroleptics in particular can cause brain shrinkage, don't know if thats the case for antidepressants. Fluoride in water as well as coffee has similar effects. Exercising among other things can boost brain health. I use a filter water system that gets out around 99% of fluoride. I don't drink coffee and try to keep away from the computer as it reduces attention span.

These are just suggestions as i noticed similar in myself and had to take action

Hi @Autist35

I certainly went through this- I happened to have had an IQ test soon after school when my mental health was much better...then I had another years later as I felt "dumber" as you say. There was a large difference.

BUT, I think I have regained a fair chunk of that back (although I won't bother getting tested again) with the passage of time and improving mental health. And having my meds sustained at the same rate for a long time now.

ALSO, IQ testing is a funny business, so the numbers themselves might not mean everything, but I guess it gave an indication.

Have you spoken with any professional supports about this?

@Autist35

Yeah I recon that Im not as intelligent as I was before MH affected my life. When I was young I was tested and it put me a couple points of genius. Now days though, nah not even close.

That said I dont think IQ tests are exactly standardised and one can give a better result than another.

Hi @StuF,

No I haven't discussed this with my psychologist yet. It's something that only recently crossed my mind. But I will if I remember.

Because I'm autistic, I go through regular (about every two or three weeks) what I call "low functioning" periods. They tend to last a few days to about a week, give or take.

When I come out of them, I feel quite intelligent and functional. But during them, even basics like eating, household chores and driving become very difficult. And that's without going into the mental anguish.

Unfortunately, they seem unavoidable. Not sure if they are long-term making me dumber. Now that I'm feeling functional again, I think it's a simple matter of my executive functioning being temporarily, albeit routinely, restricted.

Thanks for your response.

Hey @Autist35

Those "low functioning" periods sound tough to deal with.

Hopefully there might be some longer term solution...not that I'd have any idea what that might be!

It would be interesting to hear what your psychologist has to say...

All the best 🙂

Hi and welcome, @Autist35 🙂

I definitely think I'm much dumber than I was before the MIs. I used to be very quick witted when I was young. Now very slow.