ABSTRACT
Depression and suicidal behaviors are specific indicators of adjustment that are often related and of major importance because of their serious effects. Rates of depression are similar in gifted and nongifted populations. Early studies of gifted and nongifted children found no significant differences between the levels of depression of gifted and nongifted children. The groups were matched on age, gender, family income level, and ethnicity, but the educational contexts for these students were not identified. Characteristics of the gifted student, such as the type of giftedness, the fit of the individual to the educational environment, and qualitative home life factors are more important to predicting depression than cognitive ability. Suicide is “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with any intent to die as a result of the behavior”. National statistics do not report information about giftedness.
