Let’s look at this rising mental health disorder in a little bit more depth, such as –
What Exactly Is High Functioning Depression and Anxiety – Is There A Difference Between Depression And Anxiety?
We all know about anxiety that is for sure! After all, we have felt this when we have to say a speech in front of a crowd or are facing a huge exam. What about those people who go down on their knees and propose! That’s anxiety! It’s a pretty normal – even healthy emotion that we all go through. But the thing is when it becomes a worrisome and fearful thing in our life when it interferes with the normal functioning of life, that’s when it gets a label – you are showing the causes of anxiety disorders.
What are typical symptoms you might have a high functioning anxiety disorder?
- Your heart beats rapidly
- You have difficulty breathing
- You have muscle tensions
- Trouble with concentration
- Sweating
- Feelings of impending doom or that you are “going crazy”
Being diagnosed with anxiousness
If you are wondering if you are just anxious or you seem to have all the causes of anxiety disorders, think about it like this: to be diagnosed, you would need to experience excessive worry and for more days than not for at least six months. Some who are not diagnosed also feel the above emotions, but they rather hide it and “forge on,” managing, outwardly, to cope with their responsibilities.
Being diagnosed with depression
A doctor will diagnose you with Major Depressive Disorder if you have experienced at least 5 of the recognized diagnostic symptoms for Major Depressive Disorder – one of them is a loss of interest in activities that were previously pleasurable to you, another is an overwhelming sense of sadness or gloom. Those symptoms of depression would last for more than two weeks and disrupt your life.
To be diagnosed with Persistent Depressive Disorder, a person only needs two of the recognized diagnostic symptoms. One of these would be the persistent dark and gloomy mood. The symptoms would be present on most days for at least two years. The symptoms of Persistent Depressive Disorder are considered milder than those of Major Depressive Disorder – they don’t require disruption in daily function. Many mental health professionals will consider high functioning depression[1] to be a form of Persistent Depressive Disorder or dysthymia.
What Causes High Functioning Depression?
We don’t know for sure what causes depression and many things are linked to why it develops. It usually results from certain events that happened, or things people say, or other long-term personal factors, rather than one immediate action or event.
Research suggests that when difficulties continue, such as being unemployed long-term or living in an uncaring, abusive relationship, or when in isolation for a long time, etc., all these can cause depression.
Recent events too, like losing your job, rejection in a relationship, a death of a loved one, things like that, can also trigger high functioning anxiety as well as depression if you are already at risk of it from previous bad experiences or personal factors. Personal factors can be things like family history when depression runs in the family, and you are at genetic risk.
Then there’s your personality when you are more at risk, like if you tend to worry a lot or you have low self-esteem. Maybe you are a perfectionist, or you are sensitive to personal criticism or even are self-critical of yourself.
Serious illness is another cause when you are stressed and worry about coping with it.
What about drug and alcohol abuse? Both of these can lead to and result from depression.
Remember that high functioning depression is not just saying a person has a ‘chemical imbalance’. It’s a complicated condition that has many causes.
What Symptoms Should I Look Out for In Depression?
Depression is different from anxiety. Instead of feeling worried, nervous, and edgy, with depression, you have a feeling of gloom, doom, and melancholy which kind of hangs down over you. And yes, feeling down and sad after a certain loss is something, we all feel and experience at one time or another. But it’s when the low mood and melancholy hang over you for a long time when you find yourself withdrawing from doing things, not being able to function properly; then it could be that you are experiencing depression.
You get two types of depression as well. One is Major Depressive Disorder, and the other is Persistent Depressive Disorder or dysthymia. The signs and symptoms are pretty similar, but the intensity and duration of each differ. Let’s look at some symptoms of depression –
- Sleep disruptions.
- Inability to concentrate.
- No energy and always feeling tired.
- Putting on weight or losing weight.
- No interest in activities that you once enjoyed so much.
- Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, guilt, and worthlessness.
Treatments for High Functioning Depression and Anxiety
When you have symptoms of depression, your doctor will make the diagnosis based on a physical examination, maybe lab tests, a psychiatric evaluation, or a DSM-5. That’s when your doctor uses the criteria for depression that is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association.
There are good treatments that are highly effective for people who suffer from high functioning depression.
- Medications. Your primary psychiatrist or doctor can prescribe medication for you. This will relieve you of the symptoms. You get many types of antidepressants on the market today. Just check with your doctor and discuss possible side effects. Your doctor will usually start by prescribing Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. They are safe and have fewer side effects than other types of antidepressants. Some names are Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, and others. Your doctor might add mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or anti-anxiety medications to enhance the antidepressant effects.
- Psychotherapy is another method used for treating a patient, along with medication. Psychotherapy is where you talk about your condition and issues with a professional; it is called psychological therapy or talk therapy. It helps you to adjust to your crisis, identifying your negative beliefs, and replacing them with positive ones, etc. You will learn how to set realistic goals for your life and develop the ability to accept distress by using healthier behaviors.
Other formats for depression therapy offer face-to-face office sessions, which some people find highly effective. For instance, computer programs, on-line sessions, using workbooks or videos, all guided and recommended by a therapist, or if you prefer, totally independently.
- Hospital and residential treatment. Sometimes depression is so severe that mental facilities are needed. This could be because you are failing to care for yourself properly, or you are in danger of harming yourself or someone else. At these mental facilities, psychiatric treatments will keep you safe and calm until your mood improves. Other people with depression will benefit from seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist who are mental health professionals.
With severe depression, you might need a stay at a clinic or other mental facility where you will be analyzed and participate in certain outpatient treatment programs until your symptoms improve.
- Brain stimulation therapies. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Here, electrical currents are passed through your brain to impart the effects of neurotransmitters to relieve depression. ECT treatments are usually for people who are not getting better with medications, or who can’t take antidepressants for health reasons, or are very suicidal. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS is an option for those who don’t respond to antidepressants. A treatment coil is placed against your scalp. It sends short magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in your brain – the ones involved with mood regulation, depression and brain health.
- Natural depression treatments. These will include fantastic options such as acupuncture, exercise, homeopathic solutions, herbs, meditation, yoga, vitamins, etc. Just let your doctor know about what you are taking because some medications don’t mix with others.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to cope with depression is to reach out to people and to stay connected with them. On your own, it can be really difficult to maintain a healthy perspective. Get the help you need by reaching out to a psychiatrist and taking medications prescribed to make you feel better.
Although depression is a serious state to be in, it is treatable. If you want to help someone who is depressed, it won’t be easy to deal with friends and family. Don’t let it become overwhelming. Nevertheless, your support and companionship will be crucial to a loved one for recovery. But in reaching out, don’t forget about your emotional health—you’ll need to be strong with healthy emotions to provide the full support your loved one needs.
To cure depression and anxiety it might take some time, like therapy and medication. Some people ask whether it is capable of curing their depression and anxiety. Psychology Today says you can, and you might find it ever so helpful.
Go and see your doctor if you are starting to recognize these symptoms:
- Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.
- Losing interest in daily activities and daily care of yourself.
- Either putting on or losing a lot of weight.
- You have insomnia and wake up at early hours, or you oversleep.
- You are angry and irritable a lot.
- You have no energy.
- You have strong feelings of self-loathing, guilt, or worthlessness.
- You behave recklessly, such as dangerous sport, reckless driving, compulsive gambling, etc.
- You can’t concentrate.
- Unexplained aches and pains.
Yes, they do. Childhood depression is quite different from the “blues” and typical everyday emotions that kids go through. If they are sad and the sadness persists or interferes with their daily life, it could indicate that your child might be depressed.
Conclusion
When you are feeling depressed and overwhelmed, with nobody to turn, the best thing you can do for yourself is to make an appointment with your doctor, who will refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist; professionals who are trained to deal with those who feel suicidal and desperate. You might know of Christian counselors at your church if you are a person of faith, and this therapy will approach the scriptures with you with Biblical teaching to help you deal with life’s challenges. Sometimes in tough times, when you don’t know where to turn, it might be a strong and resilient faith that is missing from your life.
What is important though, is to get it treated. This is because depression does raise the risk of dying of a heart attack, and heart disease triggers off depression. One medical clinic estimate that around 15% of people with heart disease develop major depression. Look at this study and see the link between depression and coronary artery disease. It should be enough to make you realize that you cannot just accept these symptoms of depression as a daily part of your life – there are dire consequences. Because anxiousness and depression harm your immune system, it makes you vulnerable to all kinds of diseases and infections, not just heart disease. Don’t put depression off – you can overcome it, and there are lifelines out there, you have to stretch out your hand and take it!
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Hotline: 1-800-273-8255. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
