Kelsey Pelzer, 7 Signs of ‘High-Functioning Depression,’ According to a Columbia-Trained Psychiatrist, Parade, April 8, 2025.
“You don't seem depressed,” is a comment nobody with depression wants to hear. It doesn't change the reality of how you're feeling, and the skepticism doesn't offer any actual support. If anything, this type of statement might make you feel like something else is wrong with you or cause you to self-gaslight. However, you might be experiencing signs of high-functioning depression (HFD), according to a psychiatrist.
“Just because someone isn’t crying or sad doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling,” Dr. Judith Joseph, MD, MBA, tells Parade.
For example, “Anhedonia is a common symptom of HFD,” she continues. “It is a lack of pleasure in things that once brought you joy.”
Not enjoying something that you used to love might be easy to ignore or disregard. You're busy, after all! But it's worth paying attention to and flagging.
We live in a world where productivity is prized and staying busy can look like a successful life. However, even if things “look good” from the outside, if you're living out of an abundance of stress, your mental health is likely suffering.
The article goes on to list seven signs of HFD and explain how it differs from (ordinary?) depression. Here's a web-search on "High-Functioning" Depression.
Frankly, the term seems a bit ‘hinky’ to me. What I think is that there’s something going on, but we don’t really know just what. Since it seems like some kind of depression, let’s slap a “depression” label on it and go with that. Perhaps we need to rethink the whole business.
What has long been called "dysthymia" probably is what it describes. A sort of generalized lack of impetus and drive; lack of pleasure.
ReplyDelete