8 Habits Of People With Hidden Depression

Depression is a serious mental condition. Depression is not temporary sadness, loneliness, or disappointment in life. It’s not crying or dressing in black.  Depression is much more than that. It’s overwhelming and debilitating. It’s a condition that affects every part of your life and deprives you of fully enjoying it.

Depression is a condition that doesn’t only have a tight grip on your mind, but also on your ability to freely and openly talk about it.

Unfortunately, there are many people in the world who suffer silently out of embarrassment or pride. Some of them don’t feel comfortable expressing their emotions and talking about their condition to others and the rest may not even be aware that they have a problem.

Most people with concealed depression try to avoid acknowledging the seriousness of their condition. They tend to think that if they just continue ignoring their depressive feelings and just keep living their life,  their condition will go away on its own. While in some cases, this might work, in most cases, it just prolongs the suffering.

Keeping this in mind and the fact that there are many people who avoid talking about their feelings so as not to worry others with their troubles, we need to be able to recognize the signs of hidden depression so as to identify if someone close to us or someone we know suffers from this condition.

Here are 8 habits of people with concealed depression:

1. They withdraw from activities.

Their depression makes it very difficult for them to enjoy the activities they once enjoyed a lot. Their energy levels start to decrease since the pain gets more intense. Therefore, they lose interest in their job, school, hobbies, and even friendships and family life.

People with hidden depression don’t want to admit that they have a problem and they hope that by withdrawing from activities nobody will notice what they’re going through.

2. They have a unique and more complex perception of life and death.

Of course, not every person who suffers from depression is suicidal. However, this awful condition makes many people who suffer from it contemplate about their mortality.

The reason for this is that they are incessantly trying to find answers to all of important life’s questions. They often struggle with negative, pessimistic thoughts and this can cause them to think about their mortality more often.

3. They have no energy.

Depression drains their energy. It makes them feel emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. It makes them feel so weak that even putting one foot in front of the other can feel like running a marathon.

The constant, unbearable thoughts of sadness and hopelessness combined with poor appetite, high stress levels, and sleep deprivation make their life an everyday battle.

People who have hidden depression might even begin distancing themselves from their family and friends since they have no energy to hang out with them.

4. They have eating disorders.

In a lot of cases, people who suffer from depression have a disturbed meal pattern. Gary Kennedy, MD, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, says:

“A sudden change in weight, either gaining or losing, can be a warning of depression, especially in someone who has other symptoms of depression or a history of depression.”

So, if you notice a sudden change in weight in someone close to you or someone you know, make sure you find out whether they have depression, and if they do, ensure you help them.

5. They suffer from chronic insomnia.

People who struggle with depression often have difficulties falling or staying asleep. Sleep deprivation is bad because it intensifies depressive feelings. However, many doctors believe treating insomnia will lower those depressive symptoms in people suffering from this awful condition.

6. Substance abuse.

Unfortunately, for some people suffering from depression, the easiest way to escape reality and their depressing thoughts is by drowning their sadness and despair in alcohol or narcotic substances. While this might help them distract their busy mind for a while, it can lead to more problems down the road.

So, if you know someone who displays some kind of addictive behavior, make sure you offer them your help.

7. They fake their emotions.

In order not to admit that they suffer from depression, many people wear a ‘happy face’. When they’re in the company of other people, they try to look happy and pretend to be fine out of fear of being called “weird” or “crazy.”  

They also only engage  in superficial conversations since this helps them hide their condition from those around them.

8. They search for distractions.

To escape their depressing thoughts and excruciating pain, they look for all kinds of distraction. They usually become ultimate workaholics since keeping their mind busy helps them escape the agony their mind causes them.

So, if you notice that someone you know often stays late at work, know that he/she might be, in fact, depressed, and not a real workaholic.