what to do if you have high functioning depression
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of High-Functioning Depression?
The signs and symptoms of high-functioning low are like to those acquired by major low but are less severe. They may include changes in eating and sleeping habits, low self-esteem, fatigue, hopelessness, and difficulty concentrating. Symptoms persist on near days, causing a nearly constant low mood that lasts for two years or more than. Most people part almost unremarkably but struggle internally. Handling is possible for high-functioning low through medications and therapy.
Loftier-functioning depression is a existent thing, and information technology can have serious consequences if non 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. This allows the person to be able to office mostly unremarkably, going to work or school, performing well, keeping up with responsibilities at home, and engaging in virtually social activities.
This type of depression can be difficult to find in oneself, but especially in others. To the outside world, a person with PDD seems fine. Internally that person is struggling. Loftier-functioning low may not seem equally serious as major depression, but information technology should exist diagnosed and treated. Living with PDD can be a struggle and lowers quality of life, but handling and self-management tin can help.
What is High-Performance Depression?
Many mental illnesses are severe enough to impair a person'due south ability to function. In fact, for many mental health conditions, significant damage is a diagnostic criterion. Impairment means that a person does not fully function in 1 or more areas of life. This may mean non being able to concur downward a job, not being able to perform well academically, fugitive social activities, or existence unable to manage good for you relationships, amid many other potential areas of dysfunction.
In some cases, a mental illness may be less severe, and although a person experiences symptoms, they are still able to role normally, or almost normally, most of the fourth dimension. This is referred to every bit a high-functioning person or mental illness. It is of import to remember that high-performance is not the aforementioned every bit fully-operation. With this type of low there is still some harm. When someone is able to function but notwithstanding experiences significant symptoms of depression, it is called persistent depressive disorder. Previously this mental illness was chosen dysthymia and is sometimes still referred to by that term.
Symptoms and Diagnosis of High-Functioning Depression
Loftier-functioning depression, or PDD, is a recognized mental health condition that should be diagnosed past a psychiatrist or other mental health professional. There are certain criteria that describe the symptoms and that demand to be met for a diagnosis to exist made. They act similar a high-operation depression test and are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Transmission of Mental Disorders (DSM-v). Many of the symptoms are similar to those used to diagnose major depression but are generally less severe.
The kickoff benchmark for PDD is that an individual experiences a depressed mood well-nigh days and for most of the day, for a minimum period of two years. The depressed mood must include two or more of these symptoms:
- Decreased appetite or overeating
- Indisposition or oversleeping
- Lack of energy and fatigue
- Lowered self-esteem
- Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
- Feeling sad and hopeless
In addition to these symptoms that cause a depressed mood most of the time, there are a few other criteria that have to exist met to brand a diagnosis of PDD:
- The depressed mood characterized past the in a higher place symptoms must occur on most days for at to the lowest degree two years without whatsoever relief from depression for longer than 2 months during that period.
- The private has never experienced a catamenia of mania or hypomania, an unusually euphoric and energetic mood.
- The depression symptoms cannot be better explained by another mental illness, by a medical condition, or by substance abuse.
- The symptoms and depressed mood must cause some impairment in 1 or more areas of normal operation and significant distress in the individual.
- A person diagnosed with PDD may also run into criteria for major depression.
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What it Feels Like to Live with Loftier-Functioning Depression
The diagnostic criteria for PDD outline exactly what information technology means to struggle with high-operation depression in clinical terms, merely this is not necessarily what it feels like to go through information technology. Information technology may exist more useful to consider what information technology feels like to have this mental illness:
- You feel a little downward well-nigh of the time. Other people may notice this and refer to yous every bit gloomy, cynical, or a downer.
- Your low mood is nigh always present, and information technology feels like you will never go relief. When y'all do feel happy, it doesn't concluding long.
- You may feel tired all the time, even if you go enough or too much sleep.
- It may seem like you are lazy, but you lot simply can't summon the energy to do more than than is necessary to part at a normal level.
- You lot feel bad about yourself, unworthy, and equally if you don't deserve to be happy or to be liked by others.
- You do everything you're supposed to exercise, like go to school, or proceed the house clean, but information technology e'er seems like a monumental effort.
- You gain or lose weight without significant to, because y'all either have no appetite or overeat without thinking about it.
- You may feel hopeless frequently, or cry a lot without whatever real, concrete reason.
- You exercise well plenty at work or school, but it is a challenge and focusing on tasks is difficult.
- You have to strength yourself to appoint in social activities, when you would rather withdraw.
- PDD may cause complications that seem unrelated, similar substance abuse, chronic pain, relationship difficulties, and bug at work or school.
Signs of an Episode of Major Depression
Anyone with PDD is also at risk of experiencing episodes of major depression. In fact, most people with PDD will have one such episode at least one time in their lives. For some people with PDD information technology may feel as if the persistent, depression-level depression may have a turn into severe low at any time. While the ii conditions are like and may occur in the same person, at that place are some significant differences.
Two important differences are elapsing and severity. PDD persists over a long period of time, 2 years or more, while major depression occurs in episodes that are shorter-lived but still at least two weeks long. The symptoms are similar but more astringent during an episode of major depression.
Too significant is the distinction between functioning. Someone with PDD functions at a typical level, but during an episode of major depression that functioning will slide. They may begin to perform more poorly at school or work, exist unable to complete certain responsibilities, skip activities they normally participate in, go socially withdrawn, or even allow cocky-care and personal hygiene slide.
Finally, there are some additional symptoms that may occur during an episode of major depression. Many of the symptoms may exist the same, only more severe, but major depression tin as well cause lack of involvement in activities unremarkably enjoyed, extreme feelings of guilt, changes in emotional affect, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. In rare cases, a depressive episode may even cause psychotic symptoms, such delusions and paranoia.
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High-Functioning Low Tin can Be Treated
While PDD may not be as astringent or debilitating as major low, it withal causes impairment in function and diminished ability to bask life. There is no reason that anyone should have to live with a abiding low mood when effective treatments are available. The first step in getting help for high-functioning depression is to get a diagnosis. This tin can exist difficult to do if a person does not realize their depression mood is actually a mental illness that is treatable. It helps when loved ones are able to point out that there may exist an issue.
Once diagnosed, PDD can be treated with a combination of medications and therapy. Antidepressants tin can aid lift mood, although it takes several weeks for them to begin working. It may as well take a few tries with unlike types to observe a medication that works best. Therapy helps care for PDD past teaching patients means to recognize negative patterns in thoughts and to actively modify them. While outpatient therapy tin aid, many people with PDD tin benefit from the intensive, focused, and well-rounded therapy offered in residential treatment programs.
Recognizing the signs of high-functioning low isn't always like shooting fish in a barrel. It is an insidious mental illness, considering it hides backside the ability to part. Even for the person struggling with these feelings, it isn't easy to realize that there is a real, underlying mental disease. Getting help is essential, because treatment can make life more enjoyable, better mood, improve functioning, and pb to a better outlook and improved quality of life in general.
Source: https://www.bridgestorecovery.com/high-functioning-depression/signs-symptoms-high-functioning-depression/
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