Why high-functioning depression is the most dangerous

This week we are celebrating World Mental Health Day. It is a day set aside for mental health education, awareness and advocacy globally. The main event was celebrated at Kenyatta National Hospital yesterday.

Today I want to shine light on a little talked about type of mental illness. A dangerous kind of depression, not because of it symptoms but because of it rarely get attended to due to mental health stereotyping and stigma. It is called ‘high-functioning depression.’

In Kenya and indeed other African countries, mental illness is equated to the “madman in the market” kind of illness. Highflying professionals who are doing well in their careers are considered possible candidates mental illness.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Statistically, highflying professionals with mental illness are more common than people with mental illnesses that put them out there on the streets.

David is a marketer with a leading company here in Kenya. To his peers and colleagues, David is as a high performing professional living a happy and fulfilling life. However, that is an inaccurate image that is incredibly damaging.

When it comes to depression, many of us imagine  a person caught in the depths of misery and despair who wants nothing more than to stay in bed all day and avoid people altogether.

Surprisingly, David is among many professionals secretly living with depression.

Because of the stigma attached to mental illness, people like David keep their problems hidden. They lead their lives (or at least try to) as normal – going to work, socializing and functioning normally on the outside – while suffering in silence. 

David doesn’t look like the gloom and misery associated with depression and in fact, it is this that put him off from seeking help for depression. Stereotyping of mental illness and the stigma that goes with it make many people like David avoid seeking help.

Most people with high-functioning depression realize, especially when they are alone, that they are not doing as well as they could or as well as they've done in the past.

Some symptoms are such that a person isn't aware they are depressed, such as irritability, guilt or overeating.

While on the surface it might seem like a high-functioning depressive is powering through and triumphing over their mental illness by sheer character alone, the details of that fight are much more grisly than some people might realize.

Psychiatrists have observed more high-functioning depressives with seemingly “perfect” lives commit suicide than those whose battles are much more obvious. That is why high-functioning depression is far more concerning to psychiatrists than any other type.

How does one tell if they have a high-functioning depression? The best way to do it is to visit a mental health professional for diagnosis. However, there are telltale signs you can look out for.

They may include having unrealistically targets, spending too much time at work, substance abuse, feeling like time is never enough and trying hard to conceal what one is going through internally.

These warning signs will of course be accompanied by the usual depression symptoms that mostly take over when one is alone. The feeling of loneliness, despair, emptiness etc.

The more that they seek to deny it or conceal it due to stigma the greater the damage that can be done. It is possible to be successful despite these conditions, at least for a while, but it is wiser to admit and accept them and seek the support and treatment.

The good news is that high-functioning depression is very treatable and the prognosis is good.

Those with high-functioning depression are very likely to become deeply involved in their therapy and may find enjoyment in the self-discovery process that is a part of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Psychiatric Disability Organization has made it easier to access mental health privately by promoting online service like telepsychiatry, mobile mental health App and telecounseling. Seek help early before too much damage is done.