5 Signs That Indicate You Or Someone You Know May Be Suffering From High-Functioning Depression
Depression is a mental illness that has many faces, its not subjective.
Depression can affect anyone,
What is high-functioning depression (HFD)?
Try and imagine the CEO or manager of a top dollar company, someone who is very successful who deals with challenges daily in a smart and tactful way. They always have a friendly, smart and ‘ready for action’ face, they socialize often and never skip a day of work.
Now what one doesn’t know is that behind the work visage they are suffering from depression. They struggle to sleep, their mind races with self-sabotaging thoughts and
Depression is not easy to spot, especially when the person conceals it well.
So knowing what to look is important when trying to identify whether or not someone is suffering from depression. If left untreated and checked it can lead to serious mental and health problems.
HFD doesn’t meet the stereotypical definition of depression because the people who are dealing with it are holding it together on the outside with their day to day functioning. It seems almost impossible for someone to be suffering from HFD when they run a business or company and always has a business, ready to go face.
Here are 5 things High-functioning Depression sufferers are dealing with on a daily basis that we can’t easily see:
1. They Have Constant Self-Doubt
Constantly feeling that even though they are good at what they do, they aren’t doing what they are meant to be doing. Whether its career wise or relationship wise, they can’t seem to shake the feeling that they should be doing something else with their time.
2. They Experience Generalized Sadness
The sadness doesn’t actually have a root cause, it’s kind of just there. Quietly spreading throughout their body. It’s a hopelessness sadness and no matter what they try and do it doesn’t fade.
3. They’re experience irritability or excessive anger
All the mental strain they put on themselves makes them loose their temper very easily, especially over small things. For example; you were two minutes late for a meeting and their response was to shout excessively and throw and tantrum in front of everyone.
4. They cant manage to rest or slow down
No matter how tired they are they keep on working, they prefer being engulfed in work so that they don’t have to deal with their thoughts at home.
5. They constantly seek perfection knowing that it can never be achieved
Even though they are well aware of the fact that they cant achieve perfection they constantly try too. They set unrealistic goals for themselves and team mates and when it isn’t achieved they fall into an emotional rage. They tend to beat themselves up unnecessarily when they fail to meet the extreme high standards they set for themselves.
If you know anyone suffering from these symptoms, its wise to go and seek professional help because people who suffer from HFD are masters at hiding the depression through work.
