Adhd High IQ

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"I'm Smart, So I Should Be Able to

Overpower ADHD. Right?"
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ADHD is distributed across individuals of all intellectual levels, and

some of those individuals have high IQs. There is significant overlap
of characteristics among people with ADHD, high IQ, and creativity
— like curiosity, impatience, high energy, low tolerance for
boredom, charisma, nonconformity, risk-taking, and resistance to
authority.
High-IQ people with attention deficit often excel at tasks requiring
divergent thinking, which is spontaneous and non-linear — “out of
the box” thinking. They are usually less successful at tasks requiring
convergent thinking, which requires accuracy, logic, and speed —
the math-SAT thinking.
Many high-IQ adults who struggle with ADHD symptoms wonder
why their condition is considered to be less than credible. Lori, 43,
a TV producer, said, “I just saw the second doctor who told me I
couldn’t have ADHD — I’m too smart, I did well in school, I don’t
have behavioral problems, I’m a high-functioning professional.
Looks are deceiving; it’s a hot mess inside my head.”
Intelligence and IQ Do Not Counteract ADHD
Many assume that a high IQ makes everything in life easier,

including the management of ADHD. However, research tells us
that a high IQ does not protect anyone from the executive
dysfunction or emotional dysregulation typical of ADHD.
Despite their strengths and talents, high-IQ adults with ADHD
demonstrate more cognitive difficulties, functional impairments,
and comorbidities than do high-IQ adults without ADHD.
In fact, the severity of their executive function impairments,
especially in working memory and processing speed, does not differ
from that in average-IQ adults with ADHD. What these intriguing
individuals do have is a unique set of challenges.
Unique Challenges That Accompany High Functioning

ADHD
Those who grow up celebrated as “smart” internalize their intellect

as a foundation of their identities and a source of self-esteem. They
know that they carry the expectation of success. Thriving in school
with little effort, they have been told that success will be theirs.
[Get this Free Resource: Yes! There Are People Like You]
But here’s where the path begins to diverge for those with ADHD:
Due to the developmental delays that characterize ADHD, children
with the condition tend to lag three to five years behind their
chronological peers in social/emotional functioning. At the same
time, very bright children with the condition often function three to
five years beyond their peers intellectually.
Such extreme discrepancies in functioning are baffling to those
living with them, as well as to those observing them. Rob, 31, a
cyber-security technician, recalls the awkwardness he felt in middle
school: “I got 100 on everything, but was seriously geeky and never
had friends in my grade. I was more comfortable with younger kids
or adults. Being smart with ADHD is a mixed bag.”
“Potential” Becomes a Four-Letter Word
Intellectual prowess falters in those with ADHD as academic

demands grow in speed and complexity. Confused by their
inconsistent achievement, they find themselves unable to realize
their potential. Parents and teachers usually attribute their
underachievement to boredom, carelessness, laziness, or lack of
caring, and these bright, demoralized teens have no better
explanations.
A consistent refrain I hear is, “How could I have been so stupid?”
Even after diagnosis, they deny the impact that ADHD has on their
performance. Rather than acknowledge the complexity that ADHD
adds to any task, they attribute their struggles to their flaws.
[Written for You: An Open Letter from a Smart Kid With ADHD]
The High Functioning ADHD Identity Crisis
Academic achievement is highly susceptible to impairment by

ADHD. Studies show that 42 percent of high-IQ ADHD adults have
dropped out of college at least once. Nonetheless, they still believe
that their intellect should enable them to triumph over their
impairments.
Mark’s story is typical: A stellar student back in the day — debate
team captain, accepted at two Ivy League schools — he can’t relate
to that earlier self. Now a 38-year-old advertising executive, he
zoned out in his last business meeting, and worried that he missed
something relevant. After finishing his PowerPoint at 2:30 a.m., he
overslept the next day and left home without coffee. He says,
“Whoever I was, I’m not that guy anymore. Doesn’t seem to matter
how much I know. When I have to perform, I freeze up and feel
incompetent.”
A high IQ can make it easier to compensate for ADHD symptoms.
High-IQ adults with ADHD appear to function well, but this comes
at a high emotional cost. Investing much time and energy to present
a flawless public persona, they rely on obsessive behaviors to
guarantee organization and structure. However successfully they
manage their cycles of procrastination and hyperfocus, they
inevitably feel burdened and exhausted. Determined to keep
anxiety, frustration, shame, and disappointment internalized, they
relentlessly self-monitor. They are hypervigilant about hiding
anything that might expose their internal chaos.
Susan, 51, a magazine editor, explains how perfectionism works for
her: “It doesn’t matter what I have to do, as long as I come across as
smart and in control. I know I can get a little rigid, but, if the
managing editors are impressed, it’s all good. It’s just that I’m
always so anxious, dreading the day they find out I’m a fraud.”
The Secret Struggle of High IQ Adults with

ADHD
High-IQ adults with ADHD feel most successful when their

performance doesn’t reflect the challenges over which they triumph
each day. If they are not overtly suffering, nor appear to be in need,
it is unlikely that they will get the support they need. The
combination of pride and shame deters them from revealing their
inner experience, and, as a result, they are isolated with their
burdens.
Without the history of difficulties required for diagnosis, and given
their high functioning, they present with a form of ADHD
unfamiliar to most clinicians. If they are ever diagnosed, their
diagnoses will likely be delayed until comorbid issues complicate
their difficulties. The result of coping well is that the struggle
remains secret, but no less damaging.
Having High IQ Doesn’t Mean You Feel Smart
The fall from grace, when it comes, often involves revisiting the
glowing recognition earned in the past. They judge themselves
harshly — ashamed that they can’t process faster, remember more,
follow through better, be less emotionally reactive. It is painful to
accept that they’re working twice as hard, for twice as long, to
achieve half as much.
What makes this more demoralizing is that, like Mark, they feel
compelled to redefine their identities. Isolated by her secret life,
Lori grieves for her lost confidence: “Who am I kidding? If I were
really smart, I could crush this.” These despairing individuals face a
shame-based identity crisis, in addition to the impact of a
neurobiological disorder.
What’s Ahead After Getting Help with High

Achieving ADHD
Lori was finally diagnosed after finding the right clinician, and
began to recognize how her job as a producer was a good fit for her
because she works in a highly stimulating, fast-moving, ADHD-
friendly environment. Rather than trying to stifle her constant
stream of ideas, she took the risk and found that they were well-
received, even if she occasionally interrupted.
Rob began to accept that the way his brain worked was an
advantage in his job, and that the other techs were similarly wired.
No longer viewing himself as a social pariah, he went out to lunch
with a colleague for the first time. Mark began to use his artistic
creativity to make his ad campaigns funnier, edgier, and more
colorful; he felt proud when his colleagues said that he was walking
around smiling too much.
Susan began to relax her perfectionist instincts and see that the
details she obsessed about were apparently not as critical as she
thought. She loved feeling less vigilant and anxious.
Those who dwell at that random intersection of the genes for high
IQ and ADHD have abilities that, properly channeled, define our
entrepreneurs and our leaders. There is no shortage of successful
people with ADHD! What makes the difference is the lens through
which you view yourself relative to the rest of your world. The good
news is that you can reframe the ways in which you label yourself,
once you recognize that you applied those labels in the first place—
and only you can peel them off.
Six Steps to Accepting Yourself: ADHD, IQ, and

All
Having someone bear witness to your experience is the first step

toward self-acceptance. You can’t change your brain wiring, but
there are many ways to feel worthier in your own skin.
1. Learn everything you can about your ADHD brain. Read,
watch webinars, join online groups, so you can understand why you
can’t always control your responses, regardless of how smart you
are. There is relief in discovering that many share the journey that
feels like yours alone.
2. Strip away labels. You are not your symptoms nor your diagnosis
nor your IQ. Separate the essence of who you are from the labels
that might limit you. As you rid yourself of those labels, you can
begin to redefine your identity with more realistic aspects of who
you are, not who you “should” be.
3. Break out of the prison of isolation. Take the risk—with a
therapist, a best friend, a partner, or a support group. Imagine
feeling safe enough to take off your mask without fear of rejection.
4. Remind yourself that most people juggle issues that make
the world less predictable. None of us has that coveted sense of
control all the time.
5. Optimize your functioning through better self-care: diet,
sleep, exercise, stress management, hobbies, and relaxation.
Investing in yourself sends the message that you are worth it.
6. Celebrate your gifts. You may feel that your capabilities don’t
exist because you can’t reliably access them. We don’t expect artists
to create masterpieces every day; show the same compassion for
yourself and don’t hold yourself to unrealistically high standards.
Nothing can steal your brilliant solutions from you; rather than
lament that they don’t occur often enough, celebrate them when
they do.
[Read This Next: “What If My Intense Drive Is Because of — Not in
Spite of — My ADHD?”]
ADDITUDE NEEDS YOU

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additudemag.

"I'm Smart, So I Should Be Able to

ADHD is distributed across individuals of all intellectual levels, and

Intelligence and IQ Do Not Counteract ADHD

Many assume that a high IQ makes everything in life easier,

Unique Challenges That Accompany High Functioning

Those who grow up celebrated as “smart” internalize their intellect

“Potential” Becomes a Four-Letter Word

Intellectual prowess falters in those with ADHD as academic

The High Functioning ADHD Identity Crisis

Academic achievement is highly susceptible to impairment by

The Secret Struggle of High IQ Adults with

High-IQ adults with ADHD feel most successful when their

Having High IQ Doesn’t Mean You Feel Smart

What’s Ahead After Getting Help with High

Six Steps to Accepting Yourself: ADHD, IQ, and

Having someone bear witness to your experience is the first step

ADDITUDE NEEDS YOU

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