- Hey, everybody, today
we're gonna talk about the six signs of
high-functioning depression. I've received tons of questions about it, so I'm really excited to get into it. But if you're new to my channel,
make sure you're subscribed and have your notifications turned on. I put out videos on Mondays and Thursdays, and you don't wanna miss out. But let's jump in to today's topic. Now the truth about
high-functioning depression is that it isn't an actual diagnosis. It's just a more catchy term for the real diagnostic term dysthymia, and you can see why they would use high-functioning depression
versus dysthymia. Now dysthymia is described in the DSM as depressed mood for most of the day for more days than not as indicated by either subjective account
or observation by others for at least two years, okay? And I just want you to
hear that for a second, because I have an old video
I'll link in the description if you want more information
on dysthymia as a whole. But what this really is,
is a low-grade depression that lasts for a really long time. And I say low-grade not to mean that it's less deserving of treatment, but just to let you know that there aren't these extreme peaks that we can see in major depressive disorder, where people feel completely debilitated, unable to do things in
their everyday life. Dysthymia's more just hangin' around, making everything a
little bit more difficult, and dysthymia can also
include the presence of two or more of the following symptoms: number one, poor appetite or overeating; two, insomnia or hypersomnia; three, low energy or fatigue; four, low self-esteem
or poor concentration or difficulty making decisions; and the last is feelings of hopelessness. So you can see how this is very similar to major depressive disorder but just imagine it a
little more easy to manage in your day-to-day life;
therefore, people with dysthymia may still be able to get
up, go to work or school. And from the outside,
they'll look just fine, but inside they're exhausted, frustrated, and can feel really terrible
about their situation. If you worry that you may be
struggling with dysthymia, or high-functioning depression, here are some of the most common symptoms. And the first sign or symptom
is avoiding social situations. Often when we're able to push ourselves to function in our daily life, it leaves no extra effort for socializing. We may find ourselves canceling plans, just wanting to be alone a
lot and completely withdrawing from those that we love
and who we care for. The second sign or symptom
is feeling extra irritable. When we aren't feeling our best, we can have very little patience for the people in our lives. We may find everyone is
just getting on our nerves, and we could even start fights
with those that we love. So, notice if everything
people do around you and everyone around you just seems to be extremely frustrating and annoying. The third sign or symptom
is are you constantly tired? Are you barely able to
get all that you need to get completed each and every day, and then you feel wiped out afterwards? Do you feel like now you're always tired when you used to feel like
you just had so much energy? That's one of the most
common signs of depression as a whole, and more
specifically, dysthymia. The next sign or symptom is do
you struggle to concentrate? Often when we're reading
and rereading emails still not knowing what they even said or what they need from us? Maybe it's hard for you
to focus or even watch TV. Most of my clients who struggle with high-functioning depression tell me that they have a tough
time even following a plot in a movie or a TV show
and will have to go back and rewatch portions of
it, like rewinding it back, so that they can actually
understand what's happening. And this can be extremely frustrating and make school and work
that much more difficult. The next sign or symptom is are you using unhealthy coping skills more and more? This can be something like
drinking a lot of alcohol, if we find ourselves having a cocktail every night after school or work, or maybe we're just zoning out in front of the TV or playing a video game and not even connecting
with others in our lives. This could also just be us overeating, if we find ourselves eating
more just to numb out or ignore all that we may be feeling. So if you find yourself
slipping back into the old, or even maybe new, unhealthy habits, please reach out and
talk to someone about it. Getting a handle on these issues early allows us to find healthier
coping skills to replace them. And when we get help more quickly, versus waiting years and years, it just makes the whole process easier because those unhealthy coping
skills aren't so rooted in us and almost like a knee-jerk reaction. Instead, they're just starting to develop, and we can easily squash them and put a healthy coping skill in place. The next sign or symptom is constant worry about past or future, and I truly believe that this occurs because anxiety and depression
are really close friends. And so this can look like
you ruminating at night about the things that you said years ago that were hurtful to a friend or constantly worrying and super concerned about what may happen tomorrow or how you're gonna figure
out what you're doin' with your life in the next 20 years. It can be short-term or long-term, but we're worrying constantly
about past or future. And some of the ways that
my patients have reported experiencing this is
struggling to get to sleep because you just can't
stop going over and over that stupid thing that you said years ago, or maybe you can't get to sleep because you're so worried about
tomorrow or maybe next week or if you always feel like
you're unable to control and stop those negative
worry-focused thought cycles. What that truly could be is
high-functioning depression. Now on to the most important part: If any of those signs and
symptoms rang true for you and you kept nodding along, thinking, yes, that's me, what do we do about it? If you worry that you
struggle with dysthymia, or high-functioning depression, please, please, please,
reach out for help. Those of us going through it
often go untreated for years. Like I said, the diagnostic
criteria for dysthymia is two years of low-grade depression. Don't let that be you. The sooner we reach out and get some help, the less time we will spend feeling bad. For many people, all that's
needed is talk therapy. Just having a space to vent about all that we're feeling
can be so beneficial, while others find medication
to be super helpful. And I know not everyone's
interested in medication but know that there are options available. Find a treatment that works for you. It could be talk therapy
and medication together. But whatever it is, please speak up and reach out as soon as possible, because with proper care,
it can and will get better. This video has been brought to you by the Kinions on Patreon. If you would like to support the creation of these mental health videos, click the link in the
description and check it out. And as always, leave in the comments, let me know what's helped you. Is this something you're struggling with? Are there signs that I missed? Because I can never remember everything or mention everything, and together, we will keep working towards a healthy mind and a healthy body. Ooh, and if you want more
information about depression or other mental health topics, click over to those playlists
and check those videos out. And I will see you next time. Bye.
