High Functioning Depression

High-functioning vacuum is not recognizable at first glance. It has the face of those dutiful people, who play sports, who upload photos on their social profiles, who greet everyone with a smile. However, behind this apparent normality there is a form of depression that can last for years, manifesting itself with very serious episodes.

There is a very common image that most of us have in mind when it comes to depression. It is easy to imagine a person lying in bed, with the shutters down and unable to face the challenges of life. Few can say with certainty that that work colleague, that supermarket cashier or even their mother suffer from a psychological condition that drags them into a state of perennial suffering. A disguised vulnerability.

High-functioning depression is typical of people who at first glance show a normal attitude in any aspect of their life. They work, have social relationships, smile, communicate. However, they have long been carrying a profound malaise that manifests itself as soon as they wake up in the morning.

The first hours of the day have the taste of galloping anxiety. The one in which a suffocating pressure of the type “I can do everything”, “I have to continue to be impeccable, to demonstrate normality, to perform all my duties” fits perfectly. Sooner or later, these situations end up becoming chronic, resulting in a form of major depression.

High-functioning depression: what is it and with what symptoms does it manifest itself?

High-functioning depression describes a disorder clinically known as dysthymia. Nevertheless, this form has a particularity that distinguishes it from the more classic diagnosis: in this case there is no lack of energy. The reason for this lies in the fact that these patients show a high inclination to perfectionism. Leaving a business or showing failure in something is not tolerable for them.

Those suffering from dysthymia are able to get up every day and do their duty. In some cases they are also successful professionals and highly competent people who no one would suspect to be plagued by a battle against anguish, despair and unhappiness.

Far beyond our expectations, high-functioning depression is a serious condition that sometimes leads to suicide without our loved ones being able to notice the situation in time. No one explains how someone with a seemingly perfect life can make such a dramatic choice.

A study conducted by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Pittsburgh (USA) indicates that dysthymia affects almost 6% of the population. Not identifying it or not seeking expert advice causes it to lead to major depression, with serious consequences.

So let’s find out what are the symptoms that indicate the presence of high-functioning depression.

Difficulty feeling joy, enthusiasm and motivation

People with this psychological condition are capable of expressing positive emotions. However, expressing them does not mean trying them. The subject is unable to feel the joy of the past, the motivation that pushes towards a goal, to enjoy one’s passions.

And this undoubtedly causes an exhausting conflict, because the person needs to show normality, simulate efficiency, well-being and competence.

Relentless self-criticism

High-functioning depression is especially typical of people who are very demanding of themselves. We are talking about perfectionist profiles, who do not hesitate to self-criticize almost any aspect. They don’t allow themselves to fail, have doubts, or show themselves vulnerable.

As if that weren’t enough, there comes a time when this self-criticism also manifests itself outside. Eventually, they come to put their whole reality to judgment, seeing it as an environment saturated with errors, with unpleasant, annoying or empty aspects. All this does nothing but foment their suffering.

The little things get bigger

That someone arrives late, that the subway is very crowded, that the partner has forgotten something, that the children dirty the living room, that there is no hot water … Small daily problems to be faced always in the best way become an exponential obstacle for people with high functioning depression. This is because they face everything by taking on a heavy emotional burden.

It is therefore easy for them to react disproportionately. They do it full of stress, where far from being dejected or unable to react, they activate disproportionate responses with which, in many cases, they are able to find a solution to these problems, but the psychological cost they cause in them is immense. Until they can’t take it anymore.

Application of ad hoc strategies (ineffective)

These patients carry dysthymia with them for years, managing it in their own way. They are aware of their own malaise, their anguish and their unhappiness. However, far from seeking medical advice, they choose to apply their own coping strategies.

However, these are resources that act as an escape route. They are ways to disguise the problem, to minimize it. An example of this is to see your favorite TV series compulsively, to compulsively play sports, to eat or – in the most extreme cases – to be carried away by the consumption of alcohol and drugs.

To conclude, high functioning depression is typical of all those who are unable to abandon a business, to become fully aware of the fact that they need psychological help. The need to live frantically, to demand the maximum from oneself, often hides a serious and worrying reality.

Never taking a break will make the harsh reality resurface: we can’t stand our life, ourselves, the depression that has been with us for too long as a co-pilot. Let’s pull the brake and contact a professional. Dysthymia has a cure and we deserve to feel better, to live better.