Addressing High-Functioning Depression

You or someone you love could have depression and still live a life without even knowing that you could benefit from mental health treatment. This is because spotting someone with high-functioning depression can be a challenge. On the surface, you may seem completely fine as you head off to work every day, manage relationships and get things done. Inside though, your mind could be screaming. This is where a depression treatment program can help quiet things down and right your ship. Contact Greater Boston Addiction Centers online or call 877.920.6583 to discuss your high-functioning depression and learn more about our Needham addiction treatment and mental health programs.

Why Have I Never Heard of High-Functioning Depression?

You may have never heard the term high-functioning depression. After all, it is not a diagnosed illness. There is no real difference between depression and high-functioning depression. People with high-functioning depression often self-medicate with addictive drugs. If you consider yourself to have high-functioning depression along with drug addiction, you could benefit from mental health treatment. High-functioning depression often leads to a major depressive episode. In the early stages, life may look like this:

• Waking up and getting out of bed
• Going to work or school
• Eating meals
• Making it through each day without friends and families seeing the signs of depression

Other depressed people, however, are visibly struggling to cope with their depression. Their work is suffering, their family life could be falling apart, and others around them may be recommending that they get mental health treatment. Both groups are depressed, but they are treated differently every day in society.

Many Americans have at least one episode of major depression in their lifetime. However, they may never know it because many of them are functioning as they always have. Maybe this describes you, but even if the people around you every day don’t see it or worse, don’t believe you; you are not alone. There is a depression treatment program that can make sense of what you are feeling.

What Is High-Functioning Depression Like?

Often, it can be even harder to function with your depression because no one seems to believe you when you do the brave thing and ask for help. “But you seem fine,” you may hear. Our trained staff at Greater Boston Addiction Centers understands this. We have heard it all before, and we are there for you when you can no longer make it through a day as “normal.” High-functioning depression can mean that you are:

Exhausting

You may spend your time faking smiles and forcing laughter and working extra hard in hopes that someone will see you as valuable because you do not see yourself in that light. But even if they do, you won’t believe it to be true.

Having Good Days

Your high-functioning depression allows you to have good days that feel normal. You get out of bed, get work done, and make it through without negative thoughts.

Having Bad Days

The bad days for a highly functioning depressive person can be extra hard because the ebb and flow of your emotional state make less sense. Also, the people who observe and interact with you on a daily basis may not understand how you can be depressed today when yesterday you were “fine.”

Feeling Like A Phony

When your mind is screaming, but you still have to show up and function, you may feel like a complete phony as you fake your way through life. If you have to fake it to make it through more days than not, seek mental health treatment at Greater Boston Addiction Centers. You don’t have to live this way. There is help available for you.

Treatment for Depression Can Make the Difference

We offer the following types of mental health counseling for people struggling with drug addiction and alcoholism:

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

Bipolar disorder treatment is a complex process that includes medication, psychotherapy, and support from caregivers. Treatment strategies can vary based on the severity of symptoms and other factors such as age and overall health. For many people with more severe forms of bipolar disorder, hospitalization may be necessary to stabilize mood swings and prevent dangerous behaviors.

Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety treatment aims to help those who suffer with anxiety by managing their symptoms and improving their overall quality of life. There are various types of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia and panic disorder, each of which can be treated in a variety of ways, depending on the individual.

One of the most common forms of anxiety treatment is psychotherapy, which involves working with a mental health professional to help you identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to your anxiety.

PTSD Treatment

PTSD treatment utilizes a variety of different approaches to help individuals overcome their anxiety and distress. Psychotherapy is often the first line in treatment for PTSD, as it helps individuals learn how to manage difficult thoughts and feelings that are associated with the disorder. Some commonly used psychotherapies include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or prolonged exposure therapy (PE). These therapies aim to help the individual understand and change their thinking patterns, as well as change the way they react to things in order to decrease distress.

Learn More at Greater Boston Addiction Centers

Learn how Greater Boston Addiction Centers can address your high-functioning depression today. Contact us using our secure online form or call us confidentially at 877.920.6583 to discuss a depression treatment program that can help you live a happier life.