Intelligence and Depression

Recently, I've been interested in the relationship (if any) between intelligence and depression. I won't say why, exactly, but let's just say that the emotions of a loved and highly valued (and extremely intelligent) friend have been taken into account and I must do some research to see if a theory persists.

Some things I've taken from wikipedia's article on intellectual giftedness:

Gifted adults are seldom recognized as a special population, but they still have unique psychological, social, and emotional needs related to their high intelligence.

It has been thought in the past that there is a correlation between giftedness and depression or suicide. This has not been proven. As Reis and Renzulli mention, "With the exception of creatively gifted adolescents who are talented in writing or the visual arts, studies do not confirm that gifted individuals manifest significantly higher or lower rates or severity of depression than those for the general population...Gifted children's advanced cognitive abilities, social isolation, sensitivity, and uneven development may cause them to face some challenging social and emotional issues, but their problem-solving abilities, advanced social skills, moral reasoning, out-of-school interests, and satisfaction in achievement may help them to be more resilient."[11] Also, no research points to suicide rates being higher in gifted adolescents than other adolescents.[13] However, a number of people have noted a higher incidence of existential depression, which is depression due to highly abstract concerns such as the finality of death, the ultimate unimportance of individual people, and the meaning (or lack thereof) of life. Gifted individuals are also more likely to feel existential anxiety. [14]
However, numerous studies have shown that depression impairs intelligence because it leads to less neurogenesis in the hippocampus. [15] [16] [17] [18]


Another article online: "There seems to be a widespread belief that depressed persons are weak and ineffective. Actually, it appears that the more intelligent you are, the more you tend to create complex, negative scenarios in your mind. This can ultimately trigger what seems to be a kind of instinctive 'submission response' in the brain. We feel under attack, and are told by our brain to submit to the negative thoughts. It's actually a survival mechanism. But we interpret this as depression."

A "study" on the subject supporting the positive relationship: http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents/98-99/11-16/depression.htm

From what I've gathered from these informal sources, the answer to being depressed (or simply unhappy) is not thinking about it. Don't be realistic. Don't analyze, just do.

Then again, spending the last couple of hours (I exaggerate) scrolling through average people aka ignoramuses talking about depression and intelligence in online forums has made me a bit depressed myself. One of the reasons I love Reed so much is that it protects me from the idiocy of the world. I sometimes forget that Reedies are not typical problem-solvers or your average thinkers. And that, my dears, is a frightening thought.


Alright, all of this has been great, but I need to read some actual empirical studies that will reveal much much more about the subject. I've got 71 waiting for me on PsycINFO and I definitely won't get to all of them right now at 12am but I'll be sure to update the masses when I reach my conclusion.