High abilities

What high abilities are

High abilities (giftedness) are neither an illness nor a disorder. They describe a profile of functioning with significantly high intellectual abilities or potential in certain areas. Identifying them requires a professional assessment and should not rest only on someone learning fast or getting good marks. In education, identifying them early makes it possible to assess needs and offer a tailored response.

It is not simply "being very clever". There is an idea that someone with high abilities should automatically shine in their studies or succeed at everything, but ability and performance are not the same. A person can have very high potential and at the same time struggle with organisation, motivation, managing emotions, attention, social relationships or tolerating frustration. And high abilities can coexist with other conditions, such as ADHD, autism or dyslexia, which sometimes mask one another.

So having high abilities does not protect against psychological difficulties. When there is a significant mismatch between a person's abilities and their surroundings, distress and frustration can appear. In children and teenagers, as boredom, lack of motivation or school refusal; in adults, as a sense of stagnation, a constant need for new challenges, perfectionism or frustration when their surroundings are not stimulating enough.

How they can show up

• You learn very fast in some areas and get bored when you have to repeat what you understood the first time.
• You are very curious and need to understand in depth what interests you, not just memorise it.
• You ask complex or unusual questions for your age, and sometimes they throw other people.
• You have very intense or very specific interests, and find it hard to find people to share them with.
• You feel things very intensely and demand a huge amount of yourself: any mistake weighs more than it should.
• You perform below what you know, or have had bad marks even though you understand the subject.
• You feel you do not fit in with people your age or at work, or that you are stuck.

What helps

A well-made identification. Knowing what is going on changes the story a person tells about themselves: from "I'm weird" or "I don't try" to understanding how they work. A professional assessment shows the full profile, including the areas that are hard, and in education it opens the door to a tailored response.

Surroundings that offer challenge. In studies, enrichment, going deeper or higher-level projects in areas of interest, and flexibility in what is already mastered. In adulthood, seeking challenge, learning and spaces where your abilities make sense.

Working on perfectionism and the relationship with mistakes. When everything has come easily for years, the first stumble can feel like a personal failure. Learning to get things wrong, tolerate frustration and put effort into what does not come right first time is part of the work.

Looking after the emotional and social side. Emotional intensity, feeling different or struggling to find peers can weigh on you. Having a space to understand it and learn to relate to others without giving up who you are helps.

What therapy does. At We Are Psycho we support young people, adults and families with what high abilities can bring: lack of motivation, perfectionism, anxiety, self-esteem or relationships. With teenagers, we also guide the family on how to support them.

What it does not do. High abilities are not treated, because they are not a disorder. What is worked on is the distress that can appear when they are not understood or the surroundings do not fit.

When to seek an assessment

Learning fast or getting good marks does not on its own mean having high abilities, and having them does not mean needing help. It may be worth seeking help when there is persistent lack of motivation, refusal to study, low performance that does not match what the person knows, isolation, a lot of anxiety or perfectionism that causes suffering.

In school, identification is carried out by the school's guidance services; it can also be done privately with professionals who specialise in assessment.

If distress has reached thoughts of self-harm, do not wait: call 800 911 2000 (Línea de la Vida). In immediate danger, call 911. We Are Psycho does not provide emergency care.

Frequently asked questions

Do high abilities need treatment?

They are not a disorder and are not treated. What they need is to be recognised and understood: surroundings that offer challenge and, when needed, support with perfectionism, emotional intensity or the feeling of not fitting in.

Can you have high abilities and get bad marks?

Yes. Ability and performance are not the same. Boredom, lack of motivation, organisational difficulties or an associated condition, such as ADHD or dyslexia, can mean that someone with very high potential performs below what is expected.

Does it make sense to identify them in adulthood?

It can. For some people, understanding their profile helps make sense of lifelong experiences, such as feeling they do not fit in or getting bored at work, and make decisions that suit how they work.

How does therapy work at We Are Psycho?

It is online and confidential. You tell us what is going on, for you or your son or daughter, we suggest the psychologist who fits best and you choose. If you have questions about how it works first, we explain it in a free 20-minute call, with no commitment.