AIBU to find it incredibly frustrating that there are basically no resources in the UK for people like me?

[Maybeasd]

I’m genuinely starting to wonder whether I’m being unreasonable or whether this is just a massive blind spot in the UK.

I’m a woman, adult, functioning perfectly well in life for the most part, but I’m very cognitively able and have always been. I’ve been properly assessed and this a known entity (I was not born nor raised in the UK for context).

The issue is I’m finding that there are only pathways if you’re struggling but not if you’re just curious. I’m not only talking about the NHS, even privately I haven’t been able to find someone who hits the spot.

I’ve looked into:
ND assessments (very binary, very impairment-focused)
talk therapy - after years of it total waste of time and money.

People in the US suggested to find a neuropsychologist but they have eye-watering costs, mostly framed around brain injury or rehab

It’s either you’re ill or you’re fine, stop asking questions.

I’m not looking for validation, labels, or coping strategies.
I’m just trying to understand how my mind works, and it feels like that’s somehow illegitimate unless I’m suffering.

So… AIBU to find this incredibly annoying?

Ah, maybe that's not me then. I can taste artificial anything in food, and can definitely taste the difference in things like grass fed, corn fed etc but maybe I am just fussy with those ones.

Thought I might be special then. I was about to change my whole persona.

Have you seen the film Napoleon Dynamite? He drinks all kinds of milk as some kind of agriculture fair competition and can tell e.g. when the cow got into an onion patch etc

I just found the scene on YouTube m.youtube.com/watch?v=92TLctboZDs

I used to be able to conjure up the images in my head too, and had a brilliant mind's eye and imagination.

Then I had a head injury and lost the ability to see in my mind's eye. It's been pretty devastating and I am a little bit envious of your ability to do so. I really miss it 😪 💔

@NooNooHeadThat must be really tough. I have a friend who has no inner visual mind at all, cannot conjure up even a plain triangle, but is mega-intelligent. She of course doesn’t miss the ability, as never had it. But to lose it must be devastating.

Excellent!

I'd love to do a competition like that 😁

That must be an awful loss 😞

Never heard such bizarre, self indulgent twaddle. Get over yourself.

Pff, my tested IQ is 148. But unlike the OP, I'm just an ordinary mutt who can be really quite stupid on occasion. Especially with numbers!

OP, in the immortal words of Public Enemy, don't believe the hype.

Ha same - I was only 147 though! I can’t believe how self absorbed the OP is, sounds exhausting.

So you’re saying you’re extremely intelligent and want to know why? And how your mind works? Perhaps do a psychology course which may help?

Under no circumstances you should think of “only” 147 you’re only about 13 points behind Stephen Hawking.

My dad was higher and I think my DS will be too! I don’t mean to be rude abut you - I just don’t think I am interesting because, by 1 metric, I am clever.

All brains and people are fascinating - to a certain degree. But I didn’t care enough about it, to investigate.

You admitted yourself that IQ tests can be practised and improved upon. They're not so much a test of intelligence as a test of how well a person can perform at a given time on those specific tests.

I said standardised tests, which yes IQ tests are part of them. But I never practiced for one, I only ever “practiced” for the verbal+numerical reasoning. This was before I had access to the internet, so by practicing, I mean noticing the patterns within the tests. (We’d do them every year at my school).

IQ is a test of logic, pattern finding, sequences and that kind of skill.

It speaks nothing of common sense, learning capacity, linguistics etc in any real sense.

I used to take them for fun, and once you figure out what an IQ test is looking for you can train yourself to get higher scores.

I am great at quiz shows, I learn fast, have a good memory and am incredibly logical. I spot patterns and sequences a lot of others don't see. Great when it comes to numbers.

I can't draw things to save my life. I can write well but only if I know what I'm writing about. Creative writing evades me. Not in the slightest bit creative or artsy and have no performing abilities. Very clumsy and have been known to ask very stupid questions that I realised were stupid after the words left my mouth (don't always engage brain before mouth).

It's one kind of intelligence. Having an IQ of 160 doesn't make anyone Stephen Hawking. Everything else about him makes him Stephen Hawking. His other intelligences combined with his IQ test style skill make him the incredible force he was for academics.

@Livpool I am certain you're intelligent and this is in no way meant to bring you down. Just pointing out to OP that measured numbers aren't the best all and end all of a person's intelligence.

I agree!

I am very good at remembering (quite often pointless) information, so good at quizzes too. I consider this my ‘skill’ 😂.

I can’t draw and am shit at numbers, because I have no interest in numbers at all 🤷🏼‍♀️

Honestly the amount of rubbish I can pull out of my head at the drop of a hat could be considered impressive, of I was so inclined to try and impress. Not a huge amount of use in life, mind you, unless I was going to go on everyone and win big money.

Guaranteed that would be one of those time mouth engaged before brain and I was stupid though! I also have very little current pop culture knowledge cos I can't stand it, so that trips me up 🤣

@Livpool @IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos same, I'm the person everyone wants on their pub quiz team! My capacity for remembering useless shite is enormous. Couldn't do maths if my life depended on it though.

DH is the same, but he remembers rubbish I can't do between us we absolutely smash the quiz BIL insists we do every Christmas Eve.

They've started splitting us up for the teams 🤣

Weird isn’t it?! DH always said I should go on some tv quizzes but in the pressure I think would fail. Couldn’t careless about my ‘IQ’ but I do love that I can out of thin air who won Eurovision in 1997 😂

Take it from my best friend (a Professor of Behavioural Psychology) that measurement over about 120-130 is inaccurate and basically tests how good you are at IQ tests.

In my family, we don't allow couples to play Pictionary together, because they know each other too well! Although generally there are at least 2 languages in play, so that does add a handicap.

“Having an IQ of 160 doesn't make anyone Stephen Hawking”
I agree with this. Mine is 158 but my life is a carcrash and I’ve achieved practically nothing.

Re images in the head, I can conjure up anything at will - visual, auditory or sensory - but just thought that was ‘using imagination’. On the other hand I can’t understand a spreadsheet to save my life. Maybe I too am twice exceptional.

I imagine stuff with practically everything I do-driving I imagine the route, doing tasks I imagine how it'll go thus roughly how long it'll take. Imagine songs playing in my head, scenes from movies etc.

I can't picture (no pun intended!) not being able to do this. It's really hard to explain to people who can't do this though as you don't actually "see" the image anywhere, you just recall it from memory. I'm definitely no brain box though so maybe it's hindered me if anything lol. I certainly struggle to calm the mind enough to meditate because of all these images and thoughts constantly running through my head.

Please can someone post a link to an IQ test that is free and will give a result. All the online ones I have found want money or a lot of personal data.