No, intelligence has nothing to do with mental illnesses or brain disorders. 

During recent years, mental illnesses are becoming more and more alarming with reports of suicide increasing drastically from year to year. Recent studies have shown that globally in 2018, there is one suicide every 40 seconds and that figure is predicted to double to one suicide every 20 seconds by 2020.

Statistics such as these are a cause for concern as suicide can be directly linked to mental illness, as in the majority of suicide cases, the victim has had a history of mental health problems, which is often a primary factor and cause for the suicide or attempted suicide.

Contrary to popular belief, the opinions of the misinformed and the opinions of many who consider themselves “mentally healthy”, mental illnesses are not caused by intellectual disability or brain damage.

Of course, there are cases where a person who has a mental illness is, in fact, intellectually disabled or has had some form of physical trauma to the brain, however it is not a defining characteristic and mental disability and mental illness do not necessarily go hand in hand.

Mental illness can exist without a mental disability.

Mental health issues can be compared to any other physical illness such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and asthma both in the way that they are diagnosed and in the manner in which they should be treated.

Much like with these physical illnesses, an individual with a mental illness can benefit from the proper treatment and health care and relapse as a result of poor support and medical help.

Due to the widely varied opinions of the cause and actual existence of mental health issues, sufferers are often denied the traditions and support that physical illness patients receive (such as sympathy and support from family, friends, and peers as well as flowers and “get well soon” cards) which is why so many mental health illness patients resort to self-harm as a “cry for help”. This is thanks to the delusion that mental illnesses are “made up” as a method of attention seeking or that it is “all in the head” and the sufferers only deserve the necessary support if they are declared intellectually disabled or brain damaged.

With the proper encouragement, support and the realisation and understanding that mental illness is in fact just like any other illness, sufferers will be able to get the help that they need in order to adapt rather than turning to violence, drugs, alcohol and suicide as an escape.