High-Functioning Depression: What It Looks Like

If you’ve got depression, you might put on your best brave face, though on the inside you could experience continuous sad moods — sometimes filled with anxiety, or an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. 

Performing tasks or simple day-to-day activities might seem to take all your energy, and it might be tough to sleep. It can also be hard to wake up from a night’s rest.

While depression is widely accepted to be many of these things, this mental illness can also be hard for outsiders to detect — which can sometimes make it easier to ignore by those living with it.

If you’ve got depression, you might put on your best brave face, though on the inside you could experience continuous sad moods — sometimes filled with anxiety, or an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness and despair, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. 

Performing tasks or simple day-to-day activities might seem to take all your energy, and it might be tough to sleep. It can also be hard to wake up from a night’s rest.

While depression is widely accepted to be many of these things, this mental illness can also be hard for outsiders to detect — which can sometimes make it easier to ignore by those living with it. 

This is what high-functioning depression looks like — when the widely accepted signs and symptoms of depression get buried beneath a brave smile or calm appearance. 

In spite of how high-functioning depression might look, however, it can be severe — and should be taken seriously. 

Read on to learn how to identify high-functioning depression, as well as treatment options that can help.

According to the American Anxiety and Depression Association, depression is a condition that affects more than 16 million American adults.

In this case, severe depressive episodes can persist or wax and wane for two years or more. These episodes are usually enough to disrupt daily life. 

Those suffering from high-functioning depression typically fall within the latter group.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘high-functioning depression,’ this may be because it isn’t a recognized clinical diagnosis for the mood disorder. 

More accurately, high-functioning depression is a commonly observed pattern of behavior seen in people who live with the mental health disorder. 

It can in fact be a form of major depression and is considered dysthymia (persistent depressive disorder). 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness describes it as ‘smiling depression,’ during which inner conflict and chronic unhappiness are masked by someone pushing through the hardship of depression.

A high-functioning depressed person may have an active social life, for example, where he meets up with friends and organizes hangouts with colleagues. 

This same person may suffer depressive symptoms, like finding it incredibly difficult to get up in the morning, or may discover that his clothes are looser or even tighter due to under or overeating brought on by his condition.

A high-functioning depressed person might also complete work deadlines and make time for physical activities, but struggle with a lack of attention and often suffer through suicidal thoughts or feelings of hopelessness. 

This condition can be so serious, it may push a person to suicide.

People with this condition work very hard to hide their emotional pain, making it difficult for friends, family and even spouses to properly identify a high-functioning loved one.

Because high-functioning depression is often masked under a veneer of normalcy, this can make its symptoms invisible to the regular observer. 

However, with this disorder, there are symptoms of high-functioning depression to look out for:

• Insomnia

• Lack of energy or low mood

• Low self-esteem

• Difficulty concentrating

• Suicidal ideation

• Negative thoughts

• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities, including social activities

• Generalized sadness that may come with feelings of guilt, worthlessness and helplessness (depressed mood)

• Substance abuse

Additional symptoms include changes in appetite, difficulty in making decisions and sleeping excessively at different points of the day. 

A high-functioning person with this form of depression may have been hiding any of these symptoms for two years or more — and forging through them, unbeknownst to anyone else.

It doesn’t matter how long or how well depression is hidden from loved ones and colleagues, the fact remains that this condition is serious and capable of greatly affecting the quality of life of anyone attempting to power through it.

The good news, however, is that any form of depression — obvious or hidden —  can be successfully treated. 

These treatment methods usually involve a combination of psychotherapy and medication or each individual method on its own.

Here’s how these methods help with improving depression:

Medication

Antidepressants are usually the first point of call when looking to manage depression. Common types include tricyclic antidepressants, which like other forms of the medication help improve the way the brain employs chemicals like serotonin and norepinephrine which control mood and stress.

For best results, it's important to consult with a healthcare professional who will provide a personalized treatment plan after a consultation.  

You should know that not all antidepressants work the same, and medications can work differently for different individuals.

It’s also important to note that even if a medication works, it may not provide immediate results.  

Antidepressants typically take around two to four weeks to kick in and may take anywhere from six to 12 months before it is recommended to stop using them.

While antidepressants may be useful for treating depression, they can still cause side effects, according to the Journal of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, diarrhea, headaches and diminished libido are just some of the adverse effects associated with antidepressant usage. 

In cases where negative effects are hard to tolerate, seeking medical advice from your healthcare provider can provide the right guidance.

Remember to discuss any current medication you are taking and any underlying medical conditions or mental health conditions with your healthcare provider. 

Certain types of depression treatments can interact with other medications and certain foods. These interactions increase the chances of negative side effects.

Psychotherapy

Speaking to a mental health professional about the challenges of depression can offer a useful substitute to medication. 

Psychotherapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or online therapy can be useful as standalone treatments for managing depression or in conjunction with medication therapy. 

In particular, targeted treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy (during which a therapist may offer techniques to challenge and change negative ways of thinking) and interpersonal therapy (when a therapist helps focus on understanding relationships with others and how they affect the symptoms of depression) can help. 

Likewise, problem-solving therapy may offer the skills to view life’s difficulties as challenges that may be solved with the right temperament and tools. 

Psychotherapy has also been advised as a depression remedy for its long-term benefits for those living with the condition, says World Psychiatry.

If you’d like to speak with a professional about managing your high-functioning depression or point someone else to care, it’s easy to find a mental health professional online who can help guide your treatment from the comfort of your home.

Brain Stimulation Therapies

In severe cases of high-functioning depression when medication or psychotherapy doesn’t seem to help, electroconvulsive therapy carried out over a series of sessions may be useful for providing relief. 

This treatment involves small electric currents sent to the brain to manage symptoms of depression. It may, however, cause side effects like confusion and memory loss. 

A lot can be hidden behind a smile, stellar work, or even a big laugh with friends. Lurking behind all of this activity is the very real possibility that a family member, loved one, or significant other is battling through difficulties that have the potential to take away happiness and zest for life.

Or maybe you’re the one behind the mask.

High-functioning depression can lurk behind many a brave face, and reaching out to a mental health professional is the best place to start, to help get it under control. 

Your healthcare provider can provide the correct first and subsequent steps to manage and triumph over depression.