ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what is known about the mental health of high-ability individuals and then the available research on providing counseling and therapy for high-ability individuals. Most of the research regarding the mental health of gifted individuals is based on the gifted child paradigmatic belief that gifted individuals are vulnerable to an array of social and emotional difficulties as a function of their high intelligence levels. However, the social and emotional difficulties are believed to lead to psychological or mental health problems in some cases, which can be addressed through counseling and psychological services. Research on the mental health of high-ability individuals has typically used a positive psychology perspective via a focus on life satisfaction, or a medical model or deficit perspective via a focus on psychopathology. Although most studies examining IQ and mental health do not include samples of intellectually gifted individuals, the conclusions drawn from that researchassume a linear relationship.
