What Does High Functioning Depression Look Like?
We all feel sad from time to time. It's part of the human experience and a result of the things that life throws at us. It's hard to deal with the challenges that make us feel down and out. We've all heard or felt the phrase, "I feel depressed," when we are trying to describe the sadness or heaviness that hits us sometimes.
However, depression is not something that is just temporary. It's a very real mental health condition that goes beyond just feeling sad. Depression includes feeling irritable or angry. It causes a loss of interest in activities or hobbies that someone once enjoyed. Depression can cause someone to isolate themselves from their loved ones, friends, or significant other. Someone who is depressed will typically not want to socialize or bother the people in their life with their problems.
More than anything, someone who is dealing with depression doesn't want to do anything they normally would, so they don't. However, there is a type of depression that is considered high functioning. High-functioning depression is still a form of depression, but there are very specific things that someone with this will exhibit. Let's go over what high-functioning depression looks like and then how to deal with it.
What is High Functioning Depression?
High-functioning depression can be hard to spot. When someone is depressed, they will usually find it extremely difficult to even get out of bed in the morning or to carry about their daily activities. On the other end of the spectrum, someone who is high functioning doesn't have this problem. They can still do their daily activities and get going in the morning. But this doesn't mean that they are not depressed.
High-functioning people will try to ignore their symptoms and push them to the side. Even though they may be good at this, it doesn't mean that they are fine. Because deep down inside, they are still suffering; they are just better at hiding it.
Signs of High-Functioning Depression
The signs and symptoms are the same in clinical depression. They will typically include any number of the following:
● Change in appetite(eating too much or not enough)
● Wanting to sleep or feeling tired all the time
● Fatigue
● Poor concentration
● Self-Esteem Issues
● Irritability
● Feeling sad, down, or hopeless
While they may be able to get stuff done throughout the day, they feel really tired while doing it. There is no true motivation, but it is forced to function normally throughout the day, making it really hard to spot, either in yourself or someone else. Because to the outside world, you are happy, smiling, and productive.
Dealing With High-Functioning Depression
Things may seem fine on the surface, but that doesn't mean they truly are. Someone who has high-functioning depression may be better at hiding it or faking things, but that doesn't mean that they don't deserve to find relief from this challenging condition.
Depression in itself is a liar. It tells you that you aren't worthy and that nothing you do will ever make things better for you. High-Functioning Depression is also a liar. It can make you believe that you are fine and that you don't need help.
If you suspect that you or someone you love has High-Functioning Depression, it is never too late to get help. Even if you have pushed these symptoms away for years, that doesn't mean you have to continue to live with this.
Any form of depression will not just go away on its own. And while it can be really hard to admit that you have depression, it is more important for you to find ways to relieve it. Depression Counseling can help you manage your symptoms so that they go away; all you have to do is reach out to us to begin.