And he is now confident he will be able to handle the pressure of being involved in our World Cup qualifying campaign if Allan McGregor gets injured.
The Blackpool star has been reading A Life Too Short, the award-winning biography of the former Germany player who committed suicide.
The one-time Barcelona, Benfica and Borussia Monchengladbach goalie suffered from acute depression during his career and killed himself in 2009.
His heart-rending story has struck a chord with Gilks and driven home just how difficult the challenges of the position he plays in can be.
But he is sure that, if called on by Craig Levein to represent his adopted homeland, he can deal with carrying the hopes of the country on his shoulders.
He said: "A different mental approach is needed as a goalkeeper. You are isolated in what is a singular position that only you yourself can control. You have to do your job alone. Nobody else can help you.
"If you make a mistake then, generally speaking, it is going to be a goalscoring opportunity. We are definitely a different breed.
"I am reading the book about Robert Enke, the keeper who committed suicide, and it is a great book about the life of a goalkeeper.
"When I first joined Blackpool I feel I went through similar experiences to what he did. When you aren't playing it definitely worries you. You wonder about what people are thinking of you and so on.
"Fortunately, I got through it and came out the other side a better person. The book about Robert Enke is really good. I suggest people read it as it gives a good insight into what is going on in a keeper's head.
"In our position, we have to be strong characters because we have to take stick as well as the praise. When things don't go smoothly we have to do that on many occasions and it often goes unnoticed.
"Goalkeeper is a position where you get a lot of abuse off the fans because you are nearest to them. If you make a mistake, it is solely down to you. You go away from a game thinking you have let everyone down, let the fans down, let your team down.
"You think it is all your own fault when, really, there are 11 players on the pitch. It is unfortunate that sometimes it is the goalkeeper who gets that stick.
"This is an area in football that is massively overlooked, the psychology and how much abuse affects people, especially goalkeepers."
Gilks made his debut for Scotland last month when he replaced crocked McGregor in the first half of the 3-1 win over Australia at Easter Road. Former Rangers keeper McGregor has recovered from the groin injury that had made him a doubt for the Group A double header against Serbia and Macedonia.
He played for new club Besiktas for the first time in Turkey at the weekend and kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 triumph over Karabukspor.
Gilks, 30, has enjoyed a good start to the campaign in the npower Championship and is confident he can produce the goods if called upon.
In fact, he reckons he would relish playing in front of the Tartan Army at Hampden for the first time and insists he would not be daunted by the occasion.
He said: "I am glad to hear Allan played at the weekend for Besiktas. He is No.1 and rightly so. My job, and that of David Marshall, is to back him up and do the best we can in case his injury recurs and we have to step in. Hopefully, though, he will be fit enough.
"I was extremely proud to come on against Australia at Easter Road last month and win my first cap. I thanked the manager, Jim Stewart, our goalkeeping coach, Peter Houston and Kenny Black afterwards. It was a great moment for me.
"I was on the bench for a couple of our Euro qualifiers and I always look forward to the anthem being sung and the passion and the pride that is involved in it. It is a magical atmosphere and quite intimidating for an away team. They are, as they say, our 12th man.
"The passion and the support we get is unrivalled. It is a big help to you as a player. I have played at Wembley twice and I have never experienced an atmosphere like it.
"Nothing comes close to the atmosphere you get at Hampden."
