Overexcitabilities
1) are not evidence based, it's complicated
2) are also described by the name "openness to experience", a personality trait which is evidence based. Conveniently with the same acronym.
3) not unique to high intelligence! About 30% of general population exhibits the quality, as compared to about 50% of those with high intelligence.
4) have a strong symptom overlap with treatable conditions. If the symptoms are troublesome, it might be unwise to dismiss as an OE.
When I was new to the gifted community, I saw my son as gifted with OEs. IQ testing put him in high average, I think it was 108? His appearance of OE and his lower-than-expected IQ were related! He was later diagnosed with ADHD. The worst of the OE are tamed with medication and a recheck of his IQ was high enough to get him into DYS! A lot of his OE type behaviors were his inability to modulate his attention.
Similarly, I identified very strongly with OE's, and was confused when my IQ screening was average. It ended up that I have high intelligence, but also have dysautonomia. My experience of OE correlated to labile blood pressure and cerebral hypoperfusion. In a nutshell, my autonomic nervous system doesn't always respond appropriately to sensory input and my body gets disregulated in a way that feels similar to anxiety and which inhibits blood flow to my brain, which messes with my perception further. After getting my dysautonomia diagnosed and treated, I had another neuropsychology evaluation and IQ screening was high, and my OE has become a minor personality trait, not a discomfort or difficulty.
My point in my two anecdotes is that if OE type behaviors/experiences are causing difficulty, they should not be dismissed as just something intelligent people must suffer with. OE's that are severe enough to interfere with normal functioning or friendships may be caused by a physical health problem - and treatment for such will not necessarily dull the senses or change personality!
Last edited by sanne; 04/06/18 12:15 PM.
