Last week, I came across a Huffington Post article on high-functioning depression. As I read through the article, I found myself relating to it in a profound and personal way.
Like many college students, I spend my days studying, hanging out with friends, and getting involved in all things extra-curricular.
In my undergrad years, I frequently wondered how I would get everything done. However, I graduated in May with a double major and double minor. I achieved one of my dreams, and I did it proudly.
What people do not know is that it took an intense, personal struggle for me to get there. I battled my depression every single day–and still do. I invested into so many things hoping I could work through it; hoping that maybe one day I could wake up and forget I ever had a problem in the first place. Unfortunately, though, that is not how depression works. People with depression are often thought to be withdrawn and suffering from a severe lack of motivation.
While this is true in many cases, there are also plenty of people who suffer from depression in the way I do–quietly and without anyone noticing there is anything wrong.
Society’s perception of mental illness and depression is so one-note and extreme that people like me, who are still functional, often fall through the cracks, ending up without the attention and treatment they need. I took a proactive approach to treating my depression and decided to get help; I saw how depression was inhibiting me.
However, this is not the case for everyone. Amanda Leventhal, who writes about her own experience with high-functioning depression, said it best: “If we keep allowing our perception of what mental illness looks like to dictate how we go about recognizing and treating it, we will continue to overlook those who don’t fit the mold.”
According to Health Line, 1 in 10 Americans suffer from depression at one time or another, and 80 percent of those individuals are not receiving treatment.
How many people are overlooked because they do not show the typical symptoms of depression? How many of those people are your friends, family, and classmates?
We have a personal responsibility to our friends and family to acknowledge that they may have a mental health problem when we start to see possible signs.
We need to be proactive, aware and refuse to take, “I’m doing fine” as a good enough answer to queries about a friend or relative’s mental health. It is our responsibility to care for the well being of our loved ones–and that includes not always taking everything they say at surface value.
Maybe that “I’m doing fine” really means that they are struggling to turn in their assignments because they cannot seem to get the motivation to finish schoolwork. Maybe that “I’m doing fine” is what they really believe, but because they have overloaded themselves so much, they cannot see how they are hurting. This was my initial manner of coping with depression as well, and trust me, it was not the answer.
Depression comes in many forms and not all of those forms are easily recognizable. Anybody can be depressed. It can be the girl with a 4.0 and in the honors society. It can be the RA who invests all her energy into her residents.
It is me, and it may be you. If so, that is ok. Depression can be managed by seeking help, investing in your relationships, and slowing down to take one day at a time.
