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Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder that affects millions of Americans each year. Gifted, talented, and creative adults and children are no exception. Highly gifted people including Isaac Newton, Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Vincent van Gogh suffered from various forms of depression. Depression is characterized by feelings of sadness or worthlessness, change in appetite or weight, decreased energy level, inability to concentrate, or recurrent suicidal thoughts or attempts. Over the decades, research has shown two contrasting views of the psychological well-being of gifted individuals. Some studies have found similar levels of depression in gifted individuals compared with their non-gifted peers, while others have found gifted individuals to have a greater than average risk for depression, especially writers and artists. Nevertheless, research on the link between depression and the gifted has been sustained and extensive.

In the following paragraphs, depression is categorized and discussed in three groups: unipolar depression, existential depression, and bipolar disorder. How each type of depression is related to the gifted and creative population and treatment recommendations are also discussed.

Unipolar Depression

Unipolar depression is marked by depressed mood, feelings of sadness or emptiness, loss of interest in activities, insomnia, loss of energy, or recurrent suicidal ideation. Depression may be the result of interactions among social, biological, and environmental factors. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests a link between creativity and depression. Many creative and gifted individuals who experience unipolar depression tend to be emotionally sensitive and perfectionistic. They may be overly upset by life's problems or overly self-critical of their work or performance, and thereby at risk for depression. In addition, low self-esteem and poor self-concept can aggravate the symptoms. Depression may be obvious in some gifted persons and well hidden in others. Creative children as young as age 7 can show signs of depression, especially those who enroll in undifferentiated school programs where their learning experiences are different from others and they cannot find like-minded peers for social support.

Treatment for unipolar depression usually involves psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. Many people find psychotherapy more effective with the help of medication. Psychotherapy for depression can be in the format of individual, group, couples, or family treatment. Various forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, or psychodynamic therapy are often used to treat depression. The focus of psychotherapy treatment usually involves verbal and nonverbal communication about thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of depressed state, how better to cope with the disorder, and how to gain a healthier outlook on life.

Existential Depression

Existential depression is a type of depression that gifted individuals are more likely to experience than their non-gifted peers. This type of depression results from a person's questioning of his or her own existence, the meaning of life, freedom of choice, and responsibility for self-creation. Although existential depression can be triggered by a major life event, such as loss of a loved one or loss of a job, gifted individuals are more likely to suffer from it spontaneously. From young ages, children who are gifted and talented may start to think about questions that peers of similar age may not otherwise ask, including questions such as “What's the meaning and purpose of life?” Although no specific type of psychotherapy is identified for existential depression, it is often treated similarly to unipolar depression. However, some suggested treating existential depression from an existential approach, which examines one's inner self, values, and meanings.

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