The Every Day Faces of Depression
With depression rates on the rise (according to the World Health Organization and literally any other mental health organization), it’s important to realize there are people suffering from depression who are not even on your radar. Individuals who experience depression are often depicted as suicidal and unable to function, when in reality, they are people you interact with daily. It could be a bank teller who continues to give you a smile with every interaction, your professor from school who tirelessly spends extra time to go over material and lends a helping hand to their colleagues. It could be a family member or friend who socializes with you on a regular bases.
Regardless of personality, anyone can suffer from depression. Just because they may not explicitly share information signifying depression does not mean a person isn’t struggling with depression. Relating it to the expression of a “functioning alcoholic” is an analogy I’m going to use, because like “functioning alcoholics”, “functioning depressed” people have a very difficult time – functioning. They may try to hide or deny the signs of depression, like an alcoholic who refuses to admit they are an alcoholic. They may use maladaptive coping skills to try and improve their depressed mood, unable to make any progress. In mental health any maladaptive level of functioning isn’t truly “functioning” because you’re using poor coping skills to “function”.
Feeling depressed can seem like you’re on a roller coaster of emotions, feeling better one day and worse the next. Stabilizing these emotions is similar to going through a program to manage those symptoms for an ongoing period. Most alcoholics consider themselves recovering alcoholics until they die. Some people with depression may share similar feelings in regards to needing to be accountable for managing their symptoms and maintain a healthy routine.
There are different levels of depression and most people do not have a basic understanding of why people can become depressed. There are several reasons why a person may be depressed. Depending on what’s going on in your life and those around you, the world can be overwhelmingly depressing. Turn on the news and there’s always something bad happening.
Different names for depression have popped up on the internet that aren’t necessarily clinical terms. I saw “borderline depressed” at one site, ” mildly depressed” is often used too. Dysthymia, which is now classified as Persistent Depressive Disorder is given to distinguish those who have “low-grade” depression over a longer period of time that isn’t so supposed to be as debilitating rather than higher intense, time-specific “episodes”. There is also Bipolar Disorder that involves episodes of depression. Regardless of the name or category, it’s quite normal for anyone to experience periods of depression in their lives. Those who experience depression more than others, you may feel like you are trying to live with a mask on your face except it’s invisible to most of the world.