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And in a world where only 25 percent of people with mental illness feel like others are sympathetic to their condition, compassion can go a long way. Because depression is a complex and often mysterious mental health disorder, the cause is not always known. Major depressive disorder is a serious mental health disorder that impacts 21 million Americans each year. Depression is not the same thing as the feelings of sadness or low energy that accompany a difficult life event. A dual diagnosis is when someone suffers from a mental health condition and an addiction. A high-functioning depression diagnosis can occur alongside any other mental illness, but it’s more likely to co-occur with addiction.

Signs of High-Functioning Depression

Self-diagnosing a mental health condition can be problematic. Any form of depression, including high-functioning depression, is difficult to live with. A treatment regimen involving a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy, as well as regular exercise and practicing mindfulness, may offer some relief.

People with depression sometimes lash out and say hurtful things. You know they don’t mean them, but you can still choose to protect yourself by setting a boundary around unkind or derogatory language. Depression can make it tough to do even the things you really want to do, and your partner may not always feel up to following through with plans.

In particular, targeted treatments such as cognitive behavior therapy and interpersonal therapy can help. These treatment methods usually involve a combination of psychotherapy and medication or each individual method on its own. Because high-functioning depression is often masked under a veneer of normalcy, this can make its symptoms invisible to the regular observer. In spite of how high-functioning depression might look, however, it can be severe — and should be taken seriously.

It requires complex, often tedious work to communicate clearly, interpret signals effectively, and understand if your feelings are reciprocated. But with the right perspective and approach, dually autistic or interabled couples can attain and sustain long-lasting, healthy connections. “Rather, it’s a nonmedical and colloquial term people use to describe milder forms of depression that don’t completely stop one’s day-to-day functioning despite producing an unwanted emotional experience.” High-functioning depression is a real thing, and it can have serious consequences if not addressed and treated. The diagnosis for high-functioning depression is officially called persistent depressive disorder, or PDD. Someone struggling with PDD experiences many of the symptoms of depression, but less severely.

Also, there are different types of depression, and some types — like high-functioning depression or persistent depressive disorder — can make it even more of a challenge to recognize the symptoms. Speaking to a mental health professional about the challenges of depression can offer a useful substitute to medication. Many people scroll through social media and see pictures of happy people. Consequently, they grow to believe that they’re the only ones struggling with mental health issues.

If you are dating someone with depression, you might wish you could help them feel better — or you could feel confused and alone. Experts say high-functioning depression often isn’t noticeable to most people. Most days, you plaster a smile on your face, excel at work and even maintain successful relationships. This, however, doesn’t mean that you aren’t struggling with the debilitating symptoms of depression each and every day. Don’t feel like your partner’s depression is your fault — it’s not. While depression can be triggered by certain events, it’s a mental health condition that occurs within a person.

Other times it helps to stay distracted.

I have a lot of trauma and depression and anxiety, and he has his own mental illnesses, too. We had to learn a lot, to communicate better with each other about our needs, when things were getting to us, when to let things go and when they needed to be nipped in the bud, etc. Open and honest communication, listening to each other, working hard to be better for each other. Keep in mind that if you want to have a healthy, fulfilling relationship, you and your partner both need to work on things.

People on the spectrum need clear explanations of what is appropriate and what is not. Autistic people’s difficulty with expressing emotions can make relationships difficult for them to navigate. Although people with autism have the same feelings as everyone else, their feelings can be more intense than those neurotypical people express. Since people with autism find it hard to show or express their emotions in the ways that are socially expected of them, they are often misinterpreted as apathetic. A dual diagnosis requires treatment for both the addiction and the underlying mental health condition. It’s essential to address both because they feed off each other.

Talk to Your Friends and Relatives About Depression

They may think that since they can still function, they should be happier. Or they may believe someone who has a job and a family shouldn’t be depressed. These thoughts may prevent them from asking for help as well. There are many misconceptions about what depression looks like.

For Those With Eating Disorders, Ozempic Can Be A Triggering Nightmare

Talking to someone can help you manage your own stress while also reinforcing strategies you can use to help someone you care about. Sometimes people worry about the personal and professional ramifications of having depression. You can gain tons of encouragement and motivation by spending time and talking with people who share the same emotional problems. I also encourage you to go through their materials on depression, mental health, and wellbeing. You feel as if things could turn from bad to worse in no time and you’re afraid you won’t be able to handle it. And that’s because you’re too exhausted from the emotional struggle that you put up with every day.

If your partner enhances your life in a way no one else does, don’t let a diagnosis of depression deter you from having a relationship with them. Dating someone with depression isn’t always a smooth ride — but with patience and communication, these relationships can be just as healthy and rewarding as any other. A couples therapist can assist you both in communicating efficiently and offer professional tips for dating someone with depression. Researchers are working on developing behavioral couples’ therapy for depression — where one partner is depressed and the other is not — to address the challenges of depression in a relationship. Interpersonal therapy is based on the theory that our personal relationships are the roots of our problems. When we clear up our ‘people issues’, our physical symptoms such as high-functioning depression get cleared up as well.

You feel bad about yourself, unworthy, and as if you don’t deserve to be happy or to be liked by others. You may feel tired all the time, even if you get enough or too much sleep. The individual has never experienced a period of mania or hypomania, an unusually euphoric and energetic mood. It is an extension of the evidence-based treatment we provide at the existing Pingree Center and the program utilizes strategies of applied behavior analysis for providing treatment. Any new college student faces challenges while adjusting to campus life.

Talkspace articles are written by experienced mental health-wellness contributors; they are grounded in scientific research and evidence-based practices. Articles are extensively reviewed by our team of clinical experts to ensure content is accurate and on par with current industry standards. While https://loveconnectionreviews.com/ not everyone with depression has the same level of impairment, anyone with a depressive disorder can benefit from treatment. Talkspace makes it easy to find an online therapist who can give you the support you need. They also don’t understand why depression affects people in different ways.