Written by: m. wilson / AI Assisted
Suicide is the most consequential – personal effect of mental illness, and is often used as a metric for the severity of a mental health crisis, since it may represent a system failure. Analysis of suicide statistics overwhelmingly shows that overall rates are consistently lower among college-educated individuals compared to those with less education, particularly for men, and that these numbers are escalating every year.
Between 2000 and 2014, adults aged 25+ with at least a college degree had the lowest suicide rates, while those with only a high school diploma had the highest rates. In 2014, men with a high school education were twice as likely to die by suicide as college-educated men, and more recent data shows this gap is widening. From 2000 to 2023, suicide rates among men without a bachelor’s degree rose 53% (from ~24 to ~36 per 100,000), compared to a 26% increase for college-educated men (from ~14 to ~17 per 100,000). Despite college students reporting high levels of suicidal ideation (about 2% attempted suicide in 2023–2024), completed suicide rates among enrolled students remained lower than among non-student peers of the same age.
COLLEGE EDUCATION APPEARS TO HAVE A PROTECTIVE EFFECT
Cognitive ability (skills) and education appear to have a protective effect, suggesting they reduce suicide risk independently of IQ or academic achievement. Such cognitive ability, is comprised of several interconnected psychological and behavioral pathways, for instance:
1. Better Problem-Solving & Coping Skills – Higher cognitive ability often correlates with stronger executive functioning – the ability to plan, regulate emotions, and adapt to stress. This helps individuals navigate crises without feeling trapped or hopeless. Example: Someone with strong problem-solving skills may see multiple options during a difficult time, reducing the sense of “no way out.”
2. Greater Future Orientation & Delayed Gratification
People with higher cognitive ability tend to think more long-term and weigh consequences – making them less likely to act impulsively during emotional distress. This reduces risk of impulsive suicide attempts, which account for a large portion of suicides.
3. Improved Access to Resources & Social Integration
Cognitive ability often leads to better education, employment, and social networks – all protective factors against suicide. These provide:
- Emotional support
- Financial stability
- Sense of purpose and belonging
4. Better Understanding of Mental Health & Help-Seeking
Higher cognitive ability may improve health literacy – allowing individuals to recognize symptoms, understand treatment options, and seek assistance before a crisis.
5. Resilience Through Cognitive Flexibility
The ability to reframe situations, challenge negative thoughts, and adapt perspectives (a hallmark of higher cognitive function), which reduces rumination and hopelessness – key drivers of suicidal ideation.
TESTING COGNITION – ALFRED BINET
The concept of IQ was created by German psychologist William Stern in 1912, who proposed the formula (Mental Age ÷ Chronological Age) × 100 = “IQ.” But the first standardized exam specifically designed to measure cognitive abilities rather than physical traits or sensory acuity had arrived earlier, during 1905 in France, and referred instead to the foundational concept of MENTAL AGE. Prior to MENTAL AGE and IQ, intelligence (developed mostly by Sir Francis Galton in the 1880s), focused on physical senses (hearing, vision, reaction time) and did not correlate well with actual mental ability or school performance. Binet’s test (revised in 1908) was the first to assign a Mental Age (MA) to a child. “Mental Age,” Binet’s Innovation, is the main feature distinguishing the original method from later IQ testing styles (such as the Stanford-Binet revisions or the Wechsler scales).
The Concept of “Mental Age” = If a 10-year-old could solve problems typically solved by an average 8-year-old, their Mental Age was 8, helping to gauge whether the child was “delayed” or “advanced” compared to their peers. If a child’s Mental Age was significantly lower than their Chronological Age, they needed special education. This approach focused on differentiation in development and assumed intelligence was a linear progression of maturity. If an adult failed questions that an average 10-year-old could answer, their “Mental Age” would be calculated as 10. “Intellectual disability” happened when a person’s cognitive development was considered stopped or significantly below that of an adult.
Modern assessments, on the other hand, such as the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the modern Stanford-Binet, compare individuals to other grown ups. This is because an adult with a “Mental Age of 12” might still have better life skills, vocabulary, or reasoning than a 12-year-old child, just without success in the specific academic tasks a test measures. “Mental Age” also couldn’t distinguish between a “slow” adult and a “gifted” one when they surpassed adolescence, usually around 15–16 years old.
Psychology can get in the way of intelligence. A person could be super intelligent or even genius, but since, for example, they’re depressed or think too much about how their front teeth look, it increases the processing time, resulting in lower scores, despite comprehension of the material.
PSYCHOEDUCATION refers to an evidence-based approach to curing mental illness, combining psychology (understanding mental health) with education (teaching skills and knowledge), a technique that differs from other approaches, such as the ‘talking method’ and ‘processing trauma.’
Psychoeducation is a therapeutic process in which a patient (or their family) is taught about their specific mental health condition, how it affects them, and practical strategies to manage it.
COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING is an important step in psychoeducation for the treatment of mental illness, requiring a somewhat scientific approach and fact-checking of the brain to ensure emotional reaction matches the actual situation. The word “Psychoeducational” implies intelligence, along with the ability to learn, as a mental healthcare treatment, demonstrating how the intelligence and mental health can intertwine.
Psychological problems can create or amplify biases that obstruct learning. Emotions such as:
- Anxiety – can cause attentional bias (focusing on threats rather than learning material).
- Depression – can create negative cognitive biases (interpreting information pessimistically, reduced motivation).
- Trauma – can cause hypervigilance and difficulty concentrating.
- Low self-esteem – can create confirmation bias toward failure.
These emotional states have the potential to slow down or create blockages to: Attention and Focus; Working Memory; Verbal Comprehension; Cognitive Flexibility; Emotional Regulation; Motivation and Engagement; Social-Emotional Skills; Patience and Perseverance; Sensory Processing; and the Executive Functioning needed to score well on intelligence tests.
THE REASON SOME SEEK EDUCATION
Many people report going to college specifically to get themselves ‘straightened out,’ for example, by finding a fresh start, to self-reinvent themselves and ‘prove’ capability, to replace “dead-end” struggles with purpose, or escape a difficult environment. However, such a person might limit the phrasing of this effort in terms of seeking independence, stability, or a new identity rather than as an explicit therapy. While few say “I went to college to fix my mental illness,” the search results and personal anecdotes reveal a strong pattern of using college as a turning point for mental well-being.
Cognitive ability is not destiny – many people with high IQ or education still die by suicide. But on a population level, it appears to act as a buffer, especially when combined with social support and access to care. Despite statistics establishing that college education could be saving lives, cognitive ability probably doesn’t prevent pain, although it has been shown to help people navigate it more effectively.
