Often, when media discusses the symptoms of depression, they focus on the more dramatic symptoms: a struggle to get out of bed, suicidal urges, deep self-loathing. But among mental health circles, you may sometimes hear someone refer to “high-functioning depression.” What they mean is that someone may experience feelings of depression, but they can still generally go about their daily routine and manage to be productive.
But is “high-functioning” depression an actual thing? Those who find themselves able to function well despite their depression may begin to doubt that they actually have depression. In this blog, let’s discuss whether high-functioning depression is real and what it actually looks like.
What Is “High-Functioning” Depression?
The nature of mental illness is that it can often be disruptive to your daily life. It might make you feel less motivated to do your daily tasks, or you may find that you’re not as focused as you’d like to be at work or home. However, like most other things, mental illness exists on a spectrum. Some days you may feel less disrupted than others.
The idea of “high-functioning” mental illness such as depression is that you experience symptoms, but they don’t particularly disrupt your work or social life — at least not to a disastrous point. You can generally get things done or have a normal day despite symptoms of depression.
There are a few instances that might look like high-functioning depression, including:
Persistent Depressive Disorder
Persistent depressive disorder is a type of depression in which you experience mild depressive episodes for weeks or months at a time. This contrasts major depressive disorder, in which patients experience moderate or severe depressive episodes for shorter periods of time. However, in some cases, you might experience both PDD and major depression, a condition which is known as “double depression.”
Persistent depressive episodes may simply feel like “brain fog” or being in a bit of a funk, without the intense despair that can come with major depressive episodes. Because of this, those with PDD are sometimes able to be more “functional” in the midst of their depressive episodes.
Treated Depression
Although there is no permanent cure for depression, it can be treated through psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. Antidepressants can help to regulate your depressive symptoms so that they disrupt your life less. In psychotherapy, you can also learn coping skills for taking care of yourself even in the midst of a depressive episode. The goal of depression treatment is to be able to help you to function, so it’s understandable that as you treat your depression, you may be more “high-functioning” than you were before.
Masking
Finally, some people are better at masking their symptoms of depression than others. You may feel a pressure or anxiety to be productive or social regardless of how you’re feeling. Because of this, it can appear to those on the outside that you have your depression symptoms under control — or that you don’t have depression at all.
Masking may be necessary in moderation in certain social scenarios. For instance, when you go into work you often have to put on a good face regardless of your feelings of depression. However, repressing your feelings long term can do more harm than good. If you constantly hide any vulnerability and force yourself to be “on” regardless of your depressive symptoms, you could eventually become burned out or break down due to stress.
“High-Functioning” Does Not Mean You Don’t Have Needs
When you have “high-functioning” depression, you may be used to receiving praise for your independence and your hard work. To an outside viewer, it may seem as though you have everything under control. However, you still have to be mindful of your mental health and when to take care of yourself.
For those with “high-functioning” depression, it can be more important than ever to take time to decompress. After work, consider taking a half hour to read or do something restful. Keep a finger on the pulse of your social battery. If you’re beginning to feel burned out, there’s nothing wrong with telling your friends that you don’t feel up to going out. However, you also want to be careful not to isolate. Make sure you’re connecting with your support network and that you ask for help when you need it.
“High-Functioning” Depression Is Still Depression
It’s easy for those who manage to be “high-functioning” to invalidate their mental illness, especially when those around them invalidate their mental illness. As a society, we have a habit of looking at mental illness and saying, “If it’s not as bad as X, then it must not be real.” Part of this is due to a lack of education about mental illness and a stigma against receiving mental health support. Fortunately, this mindset is beginning to die out.
It’s important to understand that your depression is valid, no matter how well you’re able to function. When you need support, you still deserve support. When you have a depressive episode, that is still valid. And even when you’re not experiencing a depressive episode, your depression still exists.
Our skilled and compassionate clinicians understand that depression looks different for every patient, and that all forms of depression still require some amount of support. We’re here for you. Contact Rivia Mind today to learn more or to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.
