SUBJECT: Social/Emotional
Needs of Gifted Students
FACT OR MYTH: GIFTED STUDENTS
HAVE HIGHER INCIDENCES OF
DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND
SUICIDE.
MYTH
Gifted students DO NOT
show higher prevalence
rates of depression, suicide,
or anxiety.
(Neihart 2002)
HOWEVER…
Heightened Sensitivity – Gifted
and Talented students often have
stronger, deeper, more enduring
reactions to stimuli than their age
peers.
DEPRESSION
FACT OR MYTH: Gifted students
exhibit depression differently and at a
higher rate than their non-gifted peers.
MYTH
CHARACTERISTICS
 Resource: The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Children
 Neihart concluded that the characteristics that are
unique to gifted students may also be risk factors
for the development of depression.
 Characteristics
 1. High Cognitive Functioning
 2. Unrealistic Expectations
 3. Associating With Adults
Quantitative Conclusion
 Empirical studies have shown little to no quantitative
differences in the occurances of depression in gifted and nongifted students.
Qualitative Conclusion
 However, in a study conducted by Peterson, there was a
difference in how gifted students experienced depression.
They were more likely to experience a premature existential
depression than their average peers.

Existential Depression- Struggling with questions about the meaning of life.( Berndt, Kaiser
&Van Aalst, 1982; ; Jackson,1998; Webb, Meckstroth &Tobin, 1993).
Warning Signs of Depression
What should teachers look for?
 Prolonged sadness
 Difficulty making decisions
 Loss of interest in all activities  Negative thoughts about
oneself in the world or the
future
 Change in appetite or weight
 Sleeping too much
 Tired or listless
 Decreased energy
 Repeated thoughts of suicide,
including planning or
attempting.
 Overwhelmed by small tasks
 feelings of worthlessness,
guilt, and low self-esteem
 Difficulty thinking,
concentrating or remembering
Ways to Affect Change
 Integrate Service Projects into the
classroom
Resource:www.teachpeacenow.org
ANXIETY
FACT OR MYTH: Gifted children
experience most of their anxiety for the
same reasons as non-gifted children,
and the same coping strategies should
be used with both.
MYTH
Gifted children typically experience
anxiety for much different reasons than
non-gifted children, and there are
specific ways to help gifted children
cope with their particular kinds of
anxiety.
 Research from Tracy Cross’s studies proves that anxiety
isn’t more prevalent in gifted children, and that being
gifted does not make a child prone to personality
disorders/differences such as anxiety.
 Many anxious gifted children are misdiagnosed as being
OCD because symptoms can be very similar.
Typical Reasons that the Gifted
Child Experiences Anxiety
 Situational
 Self-Imposed
 Existential
 Refer to poster board for additional information
Tips to Help Gifted Kids with
Anxiety/Stress
 Interpersonal
 Intrapersonal
 Contemplative Practices
 Refer to PowerPoint on Ipad for additional information
SUICIDE
 "Although it is a popular notion that gifted children are
at risk for higher rates of depression and suicide than
their average, no empirical data supports this belief,
except for students who are creatively gifted in the
visual arts and writing (see Neihart & Olenchak, this
volume). Nor, however, is there good evidence that
rates of depression and suicide are significantly lower
among populations of gifted children." Gifted Children
and Depression by Maureen Neihart, in The Social and
Emotional Development of Gifted Children: What Do We
Know? by Maureen Neihart, Sally M. Reis, Nancy M.
Robinson, Sidney M. Moon
SIGNS OF SUICIDE

Changes in sleep and/or appetite
patterns,

Decline in school performance,

Increased social withdrawal,

Loll in interest and pleasure in previously
enjoyable activities,

Changes in appearance, for instance no
longer caring for one's clothes,




Use of drugs and alcohol,

History of a previous suicide attempt,

History of abuse and neglect,

History of learning disabilities and a sense
of failure,

Frequent somatic complaints,

al expressions of self death statements
such as "I wish I were dead,"
Preoccupation with themes of ones death
or the theme of death itself,

Increased irritability and behavioral
problems,
Giving away important possessions,

No longer concerned about making plans
for the future,
Depressed mood.
COUNSELING
FACT OR MYTH: According to
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial
development, a gifted child’s
emotional growth is overdeveloped.
MYTH
According to Erikson’s stages of
psychosocial development, a
gifted child’s emotional growth is
underdeveloped.
Source:
http://www.sengifted.org/archives/articles/directorscorner-the-psychosocial-development-of-gifted-children
Why can talented individuals
benefit from counseling?
 Failure to live up to high expectations may lead to
anxiety and depression
 Gifted students may self-medicate distress with illegal
substances and even drop out of school.
 Gifted youth with extreme talent may not be socially
and emotionally prepared to handle the power and
attention that such levels of ability often generate.
Elementary Education Teachers
Develop a feeling vocabulary with students
http://www.sengifted.org/archives/articles/developing-a-feeling-vocabulary
Secondary Education Teachers
1. Nourish your students socially
2. Teach them to find emotional acceptance and growth
3. Provide philosophical nurturing
(Ginnott, 1972)