People suffering from depression feel that they cannot do anything, their world has ended, there is nothing left in their life, these thoughts keep running in their minds all the time and in this confusion of thoughts, their work stops and they are unable to take any action.
Their mental distress increases even more when their work stops. They are not able to do any work and hence they do not get any output and achieve nothing. As a result, their level of negativity increases even more.
Depression occurs in the most severe stages of grief and is therefore distinct from the normal mood swings and emotions that occur or change in everyday life.
This serious mood affects the person himself but also all the people around him and the relationships he shares. The extent to which depression affects the affected people and their relationships depends on those close to them. A depressed person is more likely to affect people with close relationships.
Or we can say that half of the illness is shared among the family members because family members are the closest to the person. Therefore, the family of the affected patient also needs counselling from time to time. These close relationships include relationships with family, friends and community. Apart from this, it also affects the workplace and the people working there.
Like other mental disorders, depression can affect people of all genders, ages, and colors, but people who have experienced persistent abuse, severe loss, or other stressful events are more likely to develop depression. Women are more likely to suffer from depression than men, which can have a variety of causes, one of the main ones being unfulfilled emotional needs.
Physical health is greatly affected due to the inability to work in depression because the mobility of the body comes to a complete halt due to which the person remains in a silent state most of the time by staying in one place.
People with depression neither talk to anyone nor trie to meet anyone. As the body slowly starts deteriorating, the chances of getting a disease in the body also increase which can put life in danger.
On the other hand, physical problems also play an important role in causing depression. People become depressed due to the fear of these problems. Serious disorders of the body like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases also cause depression in the affected person.
In high functioning depression, people continue to do their activities regularly despite being depressed. This is extremely painful but they still carry out their work. Due to the symptoms of depression, people are seen to have sadness, lack of interest in work, sleep disturbances, feeling of lack of energy etc. but they keep doing their work at any cost.
High functioning depression may be difficult to diagnose because the full symptoms of depression are not evident at high level functioning.
A person with high-functioning depression stops showing symptoms of depression and continues to function. Deep inside he struggles with depression but on the outside no one can know that the person is suffering from a problem like depression.
High level functioning depression usually has most of the same symptoms as a person with clinical depression. But the intensity of these symptoms is comparatively less.
Sadly, people with high levels of functioning depression may appear to be coping well with their lives, when in reality they are internally struggling with their mental state.
The term ‘high functioning depression’ refers to a person who continues to carry out the work related activities that are part of his daily life throughout the day. But at the same time he continues to struggle with deep sadness and negativity at the mental level.
A person suffering from high functioning depression may find it difficult to ask for help, as they feel that people around them will not understand their condition and will not help without understanding the situation.
People with high functioning depression do not turn away from their daily responsibilities and relationships while experiencing feelings of sadness or hopelessness, but they try to perform their daily tasks to the fullest, but they continue to struggle internally.
Common symptoms of high functioning depression
People suffering from high functioning depression often find themselves feeling demotivated, they feel that their energy level has decreased and hence they constantly feel tired which does not go away even with rest. Despite their outward achievements, they may have low self-esteem and feel like a burden on the world. Such people feel irritated even over small things that would not normally bother them.
Changes in appetite are also common among people with high functioning depression, which can vary between eating too much or too little. Some people increase their food intake while others start eating too little. This can be seen in their weight. People who eat too much start to suffer from obesity, while people who eat less become thin and lose a lot of weight. Some people experience a constant underlying sadness that never completely goes away. Anxiety co-exists with high-functioning depression, which tends to escalate and create anxiety around everyday situations.
Many people suffering from high functioning depression develop a habit of hiding their symptoms in public while maintaining their social relationships. They feel empty inside but their face remains happy. They present themselves as happy and better to the world, but at heart they are sad and surrounded by negativity. Many people suffering from high functioning depression also have suicidal thoughts, which they do not share with others.
Effect of high functioning depression on daily life
People with high functioning depression have a significantly reduced quality of life, even if it is not immediately apparent to others. People with low energy levels often experience low work productivity, which can be exhausting.
These people are travelling through loneliness due to social isolation. Social interaction and reluctant conversation with people brings monotony in the life of people with high functioning depression.
These people participate in various social programs but feel isolated there. Sleep disturbances are also a common symptom of these people and they are not able to complete their sleep.
People with high functioning depression start losing interest in their personal life. They are unable to enjoy most of the hobbies related to their food, lifestyle, clothing which make them feel happy, which is also the main reason for sadness.
By being too lost in their thoughts, they are not able to remember things and instead, they start forgetting them quickly, which directly affects their decision-making ability. In case of not finding themselves better in important decisions of life, these people start losing confidence in themselves and face contempt in society.
Factors affecting high functioning depression:
Like clinical depression, high functioning depression also has biological, genetic, psychological, environmental etc. factors that play an important role in causing depressive mood in people.
Treatment Options:
There are several effective treatment options available for people with high-functioning depression. These options include psychological therapy and counseling, medication therapy, family therapy, and lifestyle changes, which can work together to reduce symptoms and improve daily life. But beyond all this, it is important to recognize and be aware of the symptoms of high functioning depression and seek help from mental health professionals at the right time without any delay to avoid any unpleasant events.
