High Functionality Depression: Signs To Recognize It

Depression with high functionality is not easily noticed. He has the face of that person who does his job, who exercises regularly, who posts photos on his social networks, always smiling at everyone. However, behind this apparent normality is masked a type of depression that can linger for years with very serious episodes.

There is a very common image that most people have in mind when talking about depression. It’s easy to visualize someone lying in bed with the windows closed and unable to face the challenges that circumstances present.

There are few who would think that a particular co-worker, the supermarket cashier or even our own mother suffers from a type of psychological condition that puts them in a state of permanent suffering, of masked helplessness.

High-functioning depression characterizes people who, on first impressions, demonstrate normal income in any area of ​​their lives. They work, relate, smile, communicate… However, they carry with themselves a deep malaise for a long time. Such a feeling is evidenced, for example, when getting up in the morning.

The early hours of the day are nuanced with tremendous anxiety. An anxiety in which there is a suffocating pressure of having to “do everything”, “to continue to be perfect, to appear normal, to fulfill all obligations”. Sooner or later, these difficulties will eventually become chronic until they lead to major depression.

Depression with high functionality: what is it and what symptoms does it present?

High-functioning depression describes what is clinically known as dysthymia. However, it has a peculiarity that differentiates it from the more classic diagnosis: in this case, the lack of energy does not appear. The reason for this is the fact that many patients show a high sense of perfectionism. Stopping or failing in some respect are things they cannot tolerate.

Therefore, someone dealing with dysthymia is able to get up every day and fulfill their obligations. What’s more, it sometimes affects highly successful professionals and highly competent people that no one would suspect that, inside, they struggle with anguish, despair and unhappiness.

Beyond what we might think, high-functioning depression is a serious condition. Sometimes we can find cases in which a person actually committed suicide without anyone around them knowing why. Nothing explains how someone with life looking perfect chose such a dramatic ending.

We cannot forget one important aspect. Studies such as the one carried out at the University of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA, concluded that dysthymia affects almost 6% of the population. Not detecting it or not seeking help will lead to major depression with serious features.

So let’s know what symptoms high-functioning depression has.

Difficulty to feel joy, to dream and be motivated

A person with this psychological condition is able to express positive emotions. However, expressing them does not mean feeling them. Because this type of patient is incapable of feeling such joy, motivation to reach goals or enjoy the things they enjoy.

This undoubtedly generates an ambivalence that exhausts, because they need to appear normal, simulate efficiency and competence.

relentless self-criticism

We’ve said this before. Depression with high functionality mainly characterizes people who are very demanding of themselves. They are perfectionist profiles who do not hesitate to criticize themselves in any aspect. They don’t allow themselves to fail, have doubts, or look like failure.

Thus, there comes a time when this self-criticism also moves abroad. Finally, they end up processing their entire reality as something full of errors, irritating, uncomfortable, and empty aspects. All of this increases the suffering even more.

small things get huge

When someone is late, when the subway is full, when the partner forgets something, when the children dirty the room, when there is no internet, etc. These little everyday things, which you can always handle in the best way, are an obstacle of enormous magnitude for people with high-functioning depression. Let’s think about this: the person has to overcome these small problems with all the weight that they already carry within themselves.

So it ‘s easy for them to overreact. They do this with a high level of stress, and far from showing despondency or inactivity, they initiate heightened responses with which, in many cases, it is possible to solve these problems. However, this has a huge psychological cost, and they do it until they can’t take it anymore.

Use of high-functionality strategies for coping with depression

The curious thing about these types of patients is that dysthymia is dragged along for years by being managed “in its own way”. They are aware of their discomfort, their anguish and unhappiness. However, far from seeking professional help, they choose to apply their own coping strategies.

However, they are features that act as an escape valve. They are ways to camouflage the problem, to throw it off. That’s why they choose to compulsively watch their favorite TV series, do intense sports, eat or even, in more extreme cases, abuse alcohol or drugs.

In conclusion, high functioning depression characterizes all those who are unable to stop and are fully aware that they need psychological help. The need to live in a hurry and show that we are effective often hides a serious and worrisome underlying reality.

If we stop, reality will knock at our door: the reality that we don’t know how to deal with our life, with ourselves, with this depression that we have lived with in automatic mode for a long time. So, stop for a while and seek help from experts. Dysthymia is treatable and we deserve to feel better, live better.