High-functioning depression can be tough to detect, as it can mask itself behind being busy, being successful at work; as well as from everyday obligations. A person who has high-functioning depression may seem productive, dependable, and competent on the surface. They work, make deadlines, parent and take care of family, and participate in social activities. On the inside, they may be suffering from persistent feelings of sadness, growing emotional exhaustion, low self-esteem, and the feeling that they are “justMaking it through the day”; as opposed to living the day truly.
Many times, because an individual with high-functioning depression continues to meet their responsibilities, they do not acknowledge their own struggles and tend to believe that they do not need support, as “Things are not that bad.” or “Other people have it worse than I do.” Therefore, symptoms can go unrecognized for months or years before action is taken to address them properly.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) has been shown to be very effective in treating patients with high-functioning depression, as it addresses the thought patterns and behaviours maintained by continued emotional distress. While it does include exploring your emotional state, CBT goes beyond just looking at how you feel, but also helps you to understand the impact of your daily thought processes on your mood and how you live your life.
High Function Depression Can Be Very Negative To Your Health
A major challenge for everyone who has high-functioning Depression is their constant use of negative self-talk. Many individuals use an extreme set of standards to judge themselves, assuming they will never measure up, and thus judge the result as ‘unlucky’ based upon the times that they have achieved an accomplishment, while considering their mistakes or failures to be evidence of their character as people.
As we continue to judge ourselves in this manner, we become so accustomed to hearing this inner dialogue that we accept it as factual.To combat this, we can use one strategy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to identify our negative automatic thoughts when we experience them.
Write down the self-critical statements as they occur to you and take an objective look at the statement. Would you say something like that to a friend? In most cases, you will find that the way you judge yourself and the way you judge others is much more severe than you would expect to find. Another good technique associated with CBT is to work against ‘all or nothing’ type thinking. Many people who struggle with high-functioning Depression feel like if they do not achieve their outcomes in a ‘perfect’ way that they have actually failed!
Therefore, this type of perception creates a high amount of pressure on them, and makes it difficult to see their own progress. In CBT, we want to have a more balanced view of success and will, therefore, recognise our partial successes, efforts and improvements regardless of how well we were able to accomplish their intended tasks.
CBT Is Important For Depression And Seeking Help
Another important component of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is ‘Behavioural Activation’. Individuals who suffer from depression will often find that their sense of motivation drops, causing them to withdraw from social and recreational activities which they once found enjoyable. However, for those that have high-functioning depression, this withdrawal from society can be considerably more subtle, as they may still complete tasks that must be done but are in the process of withdrawing from those same activities which bring enjoyment or satisfaction to their lives.
Behavioural activation encourages you to plan and schedule activities on purpose that are productive and will help maintain your overall health and well-being, regardless of whether or not you are currently feeling motivated to perform them. This could include walking, visiting a friend, returning to an old hobby, or enjoying time outdoors. The main concept to remember with Behavioural Activation is that you should not wait until you feel better to take action; instead, by taking action you will start to feel better.
People who experience high-functioning depression may also engage in emotional avoidance through keeping busy. While being productive may provide some short-lived distraction from emotional discomfort, it does not address the underlying issues. CBT teaches you to be aware of your feelings and emotions – and will encourage you to confront them, rather than avoid them by keeping busy.
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