Male bettas provide extended care of their fry. Unless you've actually seen it in person you can't say they can or cannot be depressed by such a thing. Now I don't believe they have that higher intelligence but they really do mope around and hate life when they're removed from their batch.
@DQ, that's happened to me. They never can stay in the net >:[
Who am I? Well I am a Junior Member of the International Betta Congress and a breeder of white HMPKs, red dragon HMPKs, black/red dragon HMPKs, metallic multi HMPKs, blue masked HMPKs, and now multi color HMs. Soon to add black HMs. I will be showing in New Breeder class in fall of 2012.