Depression and depressive behaviour is not uncommon in gifted children, young and old. Gifted children often start to compare their abilities with those in their class at a much earlier age than is typical. A gifted five year old may be at school already aware of the relative abilities of every child in class and sometimes those above. Children do not normally start norm-referencing until about the age of seven. The six year old might even be worried about a career, or already have one picked out.
Perfectionism is a huge and common problem to deal with.
The parent of a gifted child needs to counsel and guide the child on a daily basis. The big problem is fear of failure. The child will have a clear picture about how something should look or how something should be, but lack the experience and motor skills to achieve at such a high level. This can cause unbelievable distress. This child is often in the situation that perfectly formed letters are desired, unattainable and therefore should not be attempted.