I found the masking to be quite a disturbing trait as well.

I know I did it in high school. I suffered some perfectionist-related depression when I hit my first-ever hard class, but no one had any idea about how I was feeling.

I came out okay, but I know many kids don't.

And 7yo is so early to suffer depression! Yet another answer to offer when asked, "Why can't they just wait until 3rd grade when the one-hour-a-week pullout for GT kids begins?"

I have a history of depression. I don't know if it's connected with giftedness but both run in my family.

I had trouble as a teen, after we moved and I had to leave my beloved GT school and spend two years in a public high school. I was lonely, bullied and depressed. Eventually, I suffered some kind of mental breakdown which included phobias, panic, insomnia and hallucinations. I kept it to myself as much as I could. I never had treatment for it. I tried going to counseling in college but I was never able to build any rapport with the counselor. During college it faded to a tolerable level. I currently feel saner than I ever did when I was younger Having a supportive, understanding DH helps in a big way!

Interesting article Texas Summer. I feel this definitely would describe my own elementary school experience and behavior.

My first thoughts on reading this were Columbine, Univ of Texas, Virginia Tech, Unabomber, and there was another high school whose name I can't remember.

These were all highly intelligent kids who felt left out socially and suffered from depression. Admittedly, you only here about the extreme cases, but how many other kids feel that way and don't act out?

I went through extreme, deep, clinical depression as an adult. Ended up checking myself into a psychiatric hospital at age 27. Most of my depression stemmed from masking my feelings as a kid. Most of that was probably family, but I do know that, being smart (we didn't have the term gifted then), I caught a lot of ridicule and shaming even from adults. And, I was always a social outcast at school, neither living up to my older sister's reputation nor being a "problem - drugs, sex, alchohol" like my other older sister.

My point is that I wouldn't reject the statement out of hand. I think it has more bearing than we are inclined to give it. After all, our kids are gifted and that could never happen to them, right? I don't think it is anything to panic over, just something to keep in mind when making decisions. And, I remember from my best therapist "Depression is anger turned inward". So, I see my son angry and think hard about it.

Disclaimer: I have not yet read the article posted by Texas Summer.

Were they all highly intelligent? I know the Unabomber was, but I don't know about the others.

I know the guy from the VA Tech shootings had been diagnosed with a mental illness well before the shootings, and at least one of his teachers had feared that he would self-destruct because of the way he behaved in class. She did not say anything about being impressed with his ability or intelligence. She just got him removed from her class for being inappropriate with the other students. I read nothing about his being GT.

I don't know enough about the kids in the other two cases you mentioned to even comment. Were they GT?

I don't mean to nitpick. I just want to be sure we're not perpetuating the stereotype of the "crazy genius" if these cases don't stand up to that.

So...isn't one of the mechanisms behind the anti-depressant effect of SSRIs that they promote an increase in neural connections? I remember reading that recently. And then - two other things which I remember as promoting an increase in neural connections are a stimulating environment and exercise. I don't think the reverse is proven (that boredom results in loss of neural connections), but... it seems at least possible that boredom really could be killing one's brain (that's the feeling I have sometimes, anyway) and that is depressing.

Sorry - lots of guesses, leaps of faith, and I can't seem to locate the article I recall. Here at least is something related: Science News (the mag I love) blurb on Prozac and neural maturation

For myself - I began to become depressed in third grade when I moved to a school without GT services or differentiation. (Plus, there was the bullying.) I hid it, it didn't even *occur* to me to tell my parents. Things improved in 7th following another move and the beginning of tracking.

Taking those drugs sure didn't make me feel like my neural connections were increasing...I just felt kind of...flat.

I also suffered from PPD after DD was born. I don't know about you, but depressive episodes are so frightening that I worry I'll have another. Once it has happened to you, you realize how narrow the path of sanity is...

Well, just as their are psychologists who specialize in helping gifted children, there are also those that work with gifted adults.
I'm sorry this sounds so vulgar, but I can't see how a non-gifted therapist is going to help a gifted/very gifted adult.

I'm probably going to get smacked for saying that, but, oh well.

Neato

I won't be the one smacking you...