Depressive Disorder in Highly Gifted Adolescents

Abstract

This article examines the nature and extent of depressive disorders in highly gifted adolescents based on current literature and data gathered from a phenomenological study, focus groups, and clinical records. Two case studies and clinical examples document the capacity of some highly gifted adolescents to mask even severe symptoms. Several factors appeared to contribute to this masking phenomenon, including shame for being incapacitated and unable to resolve their dilemma; depression's signature cognitive confusion, which disengaged their coping mechanisms; and fear of harming others with their toxic state. These findings raise questions about the efficacy of quantitative research instruments to determine actual cases of depressive disorder in this subgroup, as well as current research estimates of depression in the highly gifted population.

Comorbidités psychiatriques et qualité de vie chez les sujets adultes à haut potentiel intellectuel : relations avec l’estime de soi

“…Nous avons également testé dans ce modèle l'influence du niveau du QI. Le modèle testé, décrit dans la figure 2, [18]. C'est ce deuxième profil qui serait le plus à risque de développer des troubles dépressifs et anxieux [19,20].…”

Self-regulation advantage for high-IQ children: Findings from a research study

“…If high-ability children have a better capacity of self-regulation than normal-intelligence children (cf. Jackson & Peterson, 2003), they should also tend to show higher levels of action orientation, because this disposition is directly related to efficient enactment of intentions (see Beswick & Mann, 1994;Bossong, 1994). A recent study (Renger, 2006) carried out under the supervision of Julius Kuhl, which involved 65 students in grades 7 through 9 of a secondary school in Bad Wurzach, Germany, confirmed the expectation that action orientation was associated with high levels of motivation, which can result in higher achievement.…”

A Double Label: Learning Disabilities and Emotional Problems among Gifted Children

“…According to her gifted children suffer from a certain level of vulnerability but most of them are capable of using their high intellectual abilities to deal effectively with the challenges. A minority is not capable of doing that; they are the children in risk of eating disorders [17,18], paralyzing perfectionism [19][20][21][22][23], depression [24,25], self-harm [26] and even suicide [27,28].…”