High childhood IQ linked to this mental illness

A recent study found that children with a high IQ are more likely to show traits of bipolar disorder later in life. Bipolar disorder is a fairly common in the United States, with over three million people diagnosed each year.

%shareLinks-quote="Serious medical illness that causes shifts in mood, energy, and ability to function. Also known as manic depressive illness." type="definition" word="Bipolar Disorder" partofspeech="Noun" category="National Institute of Mental Health"%

The University of Glasgow performed a study on a large group of eight-year-olds, testing their IQ. These same children (now young adults), were then tested for signs of bipolar disorder (manic traits) at 22 or 23-years-old.

It was found that subjects who scored in the top 10% for manic traits, also were the ones who had a childhood IQ 10 points higher than those who scored in the bottom 10%.

%shareLinks-quote="One possibility is that serious disorders of mood - such as bipolar disorder - are the price that human beings have had to pay for more adaptive traits such as intelligence, creativity and verbal proficiency." type="quote" author="Professor Daniel Smith" authordesc="The Guardian" isquoteoftheday="false"%

Pop sensation Demi Lovato is one of several celebrities bringing attention to bipolar disorder. Click here to see photos of Demi through the years:

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