It’s a holiday picture of a young woman, her husband, and
their grinning three-year old son. At first glance, the woman in the picture
looks happy. Her hair is well groomed, her makeup expertly applied, her
clothing stylish and flattering. And she wears a big smile.
But a close inspection of her blue eyes reveals a dull haze.
A kind of fatigue or flatness.
Lifelessness.
Nearly everything about her belies her hidden grief.
But it’s the eyes that give away what’s going on in her mind
and heart. Her eyes—the window to what’s going on in her soul.
A picture of depression—
I know that picture well. Twenty-five years ago, those eyes
were mine. They stare out from a family picture of Chris, me, and our older son
Parker taken around Thanksgiving.
But few people recognized my grief and depression. They
thought I was doing just fine. At least the ones I didn’t expose my heart to
did.
I evidently did a good job of hiding it. On one occasion,
when I was sitting in the back of the room waiting to be called to the podium
to speak to a cycling group on training and injury prevention, an acquaintance
I hadn’t seen in several years approached me to say hi. He quickly looked me over
and said, “Well, it looks as though life has been treating you well!”
I just smiled, nodded and engaged him in a brief chat before
I spoke to the group, without saying a word about my recent loss. He left
thinking life for me was pretty good and blessed.
I must have put on an exceptionally happy face. A
camouflage.
The face of depression—
Mine was just one of the many faces of depression, which was
kick-started by the grief I experienced after the death of my daughter.
So many think it must be easy to spot a depressed person.
And sometimes it is. For many, their outward demeanor changes. They don’t want
to go out, engage, be social. They prefer to sit around at home alone, binge
watching television and snacking, or spending most of their time in bed, never
changing out of their rumpled pajamas.
But don’t let yourself be fooled. Depression doesn’t always
put on the face you expect.
While my outside might
have been smiling and put together, my inside felt numb.
I struggled to find joy in anything. I felt trapped and
pressured. And the more I tried to be “normal” the worse it got. Eventually I
spiraled down into a state of such numbness that nothing gave me joy. And I
became ineffective at life.
Thankfully, I had a doctor that recognized my symptoms and encouraged me to take a
medical leave of absence from my technical school teaching position to wade
through the psychological and emotional healing—the rest of the grief process—I
had avoided for eight months. It wasn't the first time he'd suggested it. But now I knew I really didn't have a choice, if I wanted to heal.
But if my going-through-life-looking-normal depression had
continued for another two years, I would have moved into the realm of what
professionals call High Functioning Depression, also known as Chronic Depressive Disorder,
Dysthmia,
or Persistent
Depressive Disorder.
Become familiar with Chronic Depressive Disorder—
With 350 million people worldwide and 3.3 million people in
the United States suffering with this serious disorder, you’re bound to know
someone—a family member, co-worker, or friends—who is chronically depressed.
And trying to hide it.
Due to the recent suicides of high-profile people and younger and younger children, depression
is gaining more attention these days, so discussing it no longer carries the
stigma it once did.
Thank goodness.
Know the signs and symptoms of High Functioning
Depression—
Because sufferers can look and act so normal, and even be
successful and social, recognizing and diagnosing persistent depressive
disorder can be difficult.
Be especially alert this time of year—
Christmas can be a challenging time of year for anyone, but
for someone who suffers from
depression—any kind of depression—it can be
particularly rough. They may be even more fragile than normal.
That’s why I’ve chosen now to provide you with this
beautiful infograph my friends at BetterHelp have put together. In it they
highlight:
- The definition of High Functioning Depression (HFD)
- The risk factors associated with HFD
- The 2 sides of HFD
- The signs of HFD
- The treatment options
I would encourage you to copy the infograph and post it at
work, the gym, your club or any other area you think people might be helped by
reading it. (For a larger version of this graphic, go to my author blog at andreaarthurowan.com.)
To learn more about depression, go to BetterHelp.
And if you think you or someone you know is suffering from
persistent depressive disorder, or any kind of depression, don’t wait any
longer to get help.
You'll learn more about how online therapy with a licensed therapist can help you, and they'll walk you through the process of finding the best therapist for you, all from the convenience, comfort and privacy of your own home.
Until next week,
bring some hope to the hurting.
Blessings,
Andrea
Andrea Arthur Owan is an award-winning freelance writer,
speaker, teacher and blogger. Her nonfiction and fiction works
have appeared in
books, secular and religious magazines and newspapers, teaching manuals,
devotionals and theater
productions. She is also a certified fitness pro and
licensed,
ordained chaplain.
