Depression is an incredibly common mental health issue. An estimated 21 million adults in the United States alone have had at least one depressive episode in their lifetime, and there’s a strong probability that you know someone who has had depression, and you might even be dealing with it yourself.
Despite how common it is, there are a lot of misconceptions about what depression looks like. While some cases of depression can be so severe that a person is unable to function normally in daily life, at work, or in school, it is possible to experience a depressive episode and not exhibit many obvious symptoms, or even realize themselves that their recent difficulties have an underlying cause. This is sometimes referred to as “high-functioning depression.”
You or someone you love may be dealing with this form of covert depression. High-functioning depression is just as difficult to deal with as any other form, and just as worth treating, so here are the things you need to know about identifying and managing this mental illness!
What is High-Functioning Depression?
High-functioning depression is not an actual medical term or classification. Instead, it’s a way of describing depression that is well-hidden or doesn’t seem to interfere with a person’s ability to go through life as normal. Some severe cases of depression will have people bedridden with misery and low energy, unable to go to work, feed or clean themselves, or maintain a normal social life. High-functioning depression is the opposite of that. People with it will continue to go through the motions of their life as normal, but inside, they’re struggling with enormous pain.
Some people may know that they are depressed but work to hide the problem for reasons of their own, and some people might not even realize that what they’re experiencing is depression– they may assume that they just need to “pick themselves up by their bootstraps” and put more effort into feeling the same on the inside as they present themselves on the outside. However, this rarely works and usually just leads to more fatigue, sadness, and self-loathing. The best way to defeat depression is to identify it and treat it, even when the symptoms are hard to spot.
Signs and Symptoms of High-Functioning Depression
Sleep Problems
Although sleep issues are sometimes overlooked in cases of depression, they are a very common symptom. Sudden changes in sleep habits are a glaring red flag for a depressive episode, including sleeping more or less than usual, or going to bed and waking up much earlier or later than usual, as well as general insomnia.
Appetite Changes
Like sleep, sudden changes in hunger and appetite are almost always a sign that something is up. Medical professionals look for this symptom as an indicator of many issues, physical as well as mental. Depression can sometimes make a person turn to food for comfort and end up overeating on the regular , and other times it can make people eat very little due to a lack of hunger and motivation to eat. A change in a person’s eating habits, both in terms of quantity and frequency, may indicate high-functioning depression.
Fatigue
Depression is most popularly associated with sadness and feeling blue, but anyone who’s experienced it will tell you that tiredness is often the prevailing feeling, not sadness. Fatigue and low energy is one of the most defining symptoms of depression, both high-functioning and otherwise, and also one of the easiest to miss. You can always write off a lack of energy as a hard day at work or a poor night’s sleep, but when the dragging days start to add up, it can be a very clear sign that something is wrong.
Treatments for High-Functioning Depression
Therapy
Today’s therapeutic methods are some of the most advanced and effective that the mental health community has seen yet. Seeking out therapy can be incredibly effective for anyone suffering from depression, giving them a place to find judgment-free support and learn valuable coping skills.
Lifestyle Changes
While anyone can get depression, even people who are happy and content in their life, this illness doesn’t happen in a vacuum. While certain stressors in a person’s life can’t directly cause depression on their own, they can certainly be contributing factors, and they can make recovery more difficult. Learning stress management techniques and finding ways to reduce stress can be very helpful in fighting back against high-functioning depression.
Medications and Other Treatments
Mental health medications are not only readily available to most people today, but they can be enormously helpful in dealing with and recovering from depression. For those who haven’t seen the results they want from traditional medications and therapeutic methods, there is also the option of alternative treatments and clinical trials to gain access to newer treatments that may be more effective! If you’re interested in joining a clinical trial, click here to learn more about our current depression trial.
