 Hi, Psych2Goers! Welcome back to our channel! Today, we would like to share an experience by one of our writers in Psych2Go about high-functioning depression and ate things people with high-functioning depression want you to know. Let's continue. Ever heard this from a witness on TV during a news report covering an incident tied to mental health? I didn't know so-and-so was depressed. They seemed so... normal. Or overheard at work. I bet so-and-so is just claiming depression because they want to stay home playing games. Truth is, it's entirely possible, maybe even likely, that those people they're talking about had depression. Depression is the umbrella term that covers many different types, and it doesn't always present the same. One of the most difficult to recognize is called high-functioning depression, and it's the Academy Award-winning actor of the depressive disorders, since one of its key characteristics is that the person who has it acts like a non-disordered person, at least on the surface. Like an actor, it can even go by different names, officially known as persistent depressive disorder, or PDD, and, previously, dysthymia. This masking success can cause issues, since there is general disbelief that anything is wrong, even when we cry out for help. This in itself stems from continued lack of knowledge surrounding mental health issues, and the stigma around it. There tends to be fear in the unknown. So, although we might look like sunshine on the outside, we're expending a Herculean effort to hide the storm inside. We really want you to understand us, so here are eight things we want you to know about high-functioning depression. One, we constantly feel like we're bluffing, even when we're not. Have you ever complimented someone for their incredible work, and their response is always something like, oh no, I must have just gotten lucky, or I know you're just being nice. I just got lucky today, I guess. They might be suffering from imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon, which makes us believe we're incompetent in adequate failures despite solid, empirical evidence showing otherwise. We feel a little like con artists who are bamboozling you into thinking we're competent, no matter how qualified we actually are. Although we find it difficult to believe our own thoughts challenging these fallacies, when the challenge comes from another person, it really helps. Outside confirmation and sincere encouragement help to disprove our false beliefs. Two, there is rarely obvious proof of our struggle and need for help. This lack of visible proof is what usually has others calling us liars, lazy, or drama queens when we finally share what's going on inside. I'm sure you can imagine how this discourages us from ever reaching out again. Truth is, living with PDD can mean getting through the basics of everyday life, like work, is incredibly challenging. Yes, we get things done, but just at the baseline. It's hard for people to believe we're struggling since we don't appear to be falling apart or showing any other overt signs. Simply believing us when we ask for help and support is a massive blessing, and we are grateful. Three, my good day might just be your normal everyday. How would an average day go? Maybe you wake up on time even though you didn't sleep so well and take a shower then go to work. At work you complete the tasks you had planned. You see doughnuts at the office, but exercise your willpower and refuse one because you know you want to be healthier. End of day means you go home, have dinner, and calmly go to sleep, feeling productive since you've got work done and you don't feel anxious about your life or your career. Does that sound pretty boring and normal? Guess what? That just described a rather good day for someone with PDD. Please try not to be dismissive if we seem really happy over doing something that to you might seem meh. Four, bad days are overwhelming and feel impossible. So, reading how average a good day is to someone with PDD, can you imagine what a bad day is like? As shared by one person, a bad day has them feeling guilty for wasting time with the struggle to wake up, then going to work and having their brain get stuck all day in loading mode like a YouTube video with bad Wi-Fi. Other things that could happen are crying without any real reason and just allowing many of the struggles nearly take over. For example, normally we'd struggle through our issues and clean the house, but on a day like this, we might complete cleaning a mug or a single plate. The rest is just too much. Please be patient with us. We're not stupid or lazy. It might just be a bad day. Five, getting through bad days requires massive amounts of energy, even more than usual. Yes, on top of feeling terrible, there is a massive energy drain. The mediocre work we manage to produce on a bad day actually takes longer than normal and wipes us out. We also have almost no capacity to deal with people and our surroundings getting frustrated very easily. Everything compounds, taking exponentially more and more energy when we're already nearly running on empty. To use an analogy, it's like a bad night of eating at a fancy restaurant. We're spending so much more and the product received is so much less. And so now, we're broke and still hungry, then the situation worsens with food poisoning, but we still have to drive everyone home. If you see this happening, we would very much appreciate it if you took over the driving duties. Six, we frequently struggle to focus and are not at the top of our game. This isn't as easy as telling ourselves once in a while. Oh, stop daydreaming. We have to constantly keep a conscious tap on our focus. Not grappling with it or checking on our focus can result in misunderstandings and distractions that prevent completion of anything. Blanking out and staring off into the distance becomes a regular habit if we're not careful. Please understand, we're not ignoring you and we do think what you're saying is important. We might just be at the height of the internal wrestling match. Seven, our average every day means regular routines can often feel like performing an Olympic tryout twice in a row. Part of what makes living with high-function depression overwhelming is the sheer exhaustion from routine activities that most others do without skipping a beat. We also are well aware that it shouldn't be that hard, so now we feel like a waste of space. We have a restricted, finite supply of energy that just isn't being used efficiently. So when we need help, the energy required for that is often already being drained by keeping up that all is good facade, plus running the internal automatic and perpetual self-criticism machine. We're basically asking our energy bank to go into overdraft, meaning things like self-care and sticking to plans are now a burden. Even so, chances are pretty good that we still want to get help. We just don't know how to go about it, and all that internal self-criticism leads to self-doubt. Do we deserve help? Will we really improve? So yes, high functioning pretty much just means we can hold a job and look okay. It doesn't mean we're at zero risk of self-harm. We would like to help ourselves, but sometimes we can't do it on our own. Please don't hand-wave us off as just fine. 8. We're not weak because we ask for or receive help. We are usually fairly self-aware of how we're different and we know what is often said about us. So we also understand that when things like this make us despair, the best course of action is to reach out for appropriate help. Reaching out isn't a show of weakness. It shows that we are strong enough to face and acknowledge our shortcomings. It also shows that we're strong enough to withstand that scary step of opening up to others and letting them in. If you think stubborn walled-up agonizing is better, just remember, hermit crabs are pretty squishy inside. So if we ask for help, please encourage us or even give an assist. We'd be super grateful. So there you have it, the professional actor of persistent depressive disorder, also known as high-functioning depression or dysthymia. Just because you don't see what you expect doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We would really appreciate for you to help and support us. Help can come in many forms, from therapy to religion to intense work on self-help. There is no singular correct method. PDD sufferers, like anyone else, have the right to protect, defend, and enjoy their lives and have good health. This might involve having periods of despair and stagnancy, and that's okay. Your simple belief and willingness to understand is a step in the progress towards eliminating the stigma of mental health. Does this give you insight into something you've seen lately or someone you know? Does this help explain or clarify anything you've been asking yourself? Please feel free to comment below. Catch you next time!