This week I was having a talk with my oldest son, Dustin, and we were discussing a friend who is so intelligent, we believe they most likely score high enough to get into Mensa. I mentioned that the friend is indeed brilliant and I wish for their sake that they didn’t struggle so greatly with depression. Dustin quickly added, “All the smartest people are depressed, Mom.” What?! This was news to me.

I thought Dustin’s statement was some kind of joke at first, and then he enlightened me that there is research that shows that many or even most of the world’s most intelligent people have struggled with depression. Upon doing a bit of Googling, I discovered that there is indeed often a correlation between intelligence and depression. While it’s true that people can also have a low IQ and be depressed, it is conversely true that there is a link between high intelligence and depression. Some famous people who might be considered in the high intelligence/depression category are Abraham Lincoln, Einstein, Beethoven, Charles Dickens,Winston Churchill, to name a few.

Dustin says one reason why highly intelligent people may struggle with depression is because they are good at spotting problems in the world — they see what’s wrong around them and what needs to change — and when they can’t fix it, they go into an emotional downward spiral.

I would venture to say that some of these highly intelligent, depressed people may not realize their brilliance. When you’re lying in a bed and not wanting to get out of it or shower or brush your teeth it doesn’t exactly lend itself to believing you’re brilliant.

Receiving this new piece of information about the link that can exist between depression and intelligence has caused me to deeply ponder. Here are some things to think about…

What if those who struggle with depression have a gift of identifying change that needs to happen in the world,that others haven’t realized yet?

What if those who struggle with depression have a gift of feeling deeper than your average person?

What if those who struggle with depression have a gift of being some of the greatest change agents the world has ever seen…if they can push past the depression, to action?

This is one of the many reasons why breaking the stigma about mental health is so important. Those who struggle with depression have the potential — especially when coupled with the power of God — to solve so many of the world’s problems.

These individuals are some of the world’s most valuable contributors.

This isn’t one of my 3 steps to solving this, or 5 steps to achieving that posts. It’s a thinking post. Just ponder all of this with me for a moment, and it’s implications. And I just wanna say…

Yay for medication!

Yay for therapy!

Yay for God working mightily by His Spirit through both of these things and more!