The person who suffers depression functional has a lack of energy, feels very hopeless, is pessimistic almost all the time, has a deep feeling of sadness and lacks motivation. And despite feeling bad, they can carry out their day-to-day activities. How can we differentiate it with other depressions?
The professor of psychology of the University of Applied Sciences, Alvaro Valdivia explains about functional depression and its causes.
What is functional depression?
Although there is no official diagnosis of something called functional depression, what does exist is clinical violence and the experience of people who narrate that despite feeling bad with a diagnosis of depression, they can carry out day-to-day activities, such as work, academic and others that could be diminished if it were a depression. Which doesn’t mean that they feel good, they are basically people who somehow try to continue with their lives despite what they are feeling. That is what is generally called functional depression.
What are its symptoms and how can we detect it?
The symptoms are really the same as clinical depression, a deep feeling of sadness, often accompanied by pessimism and a sad mood. Likewise, lack of motivation, sleep problems that may be, sleeping more or less time. Food can also vary.
The person with this depression feels a lot of hopelessness and difficulty to be able to move on. This is when this difference of maintaining activities that make the person feel functional would come in. I think that this would be the difference with a non-functional depression.
What are the differences between the other symptoms of depression?
There is no difference in itself, other than the fact of continuing with activities that other people cannot continue. I believe that this would be the greatest distinction that certain changes at levels of habits, motivation and energy would generate. But there is no difference in more structural symptoms like sadness or lack of energy. People who remain functional do so with a lack of energy, it is a very big effort.
People who remain functional do so with a lack of energy, it is a very big effort. Photo: Pexels.
Can this depression lead to possible suicide?
Of course yes, suicide is multi-causal, it is never triggered solely by a diagnosis or a depression, whether it is functional or not, it is for multiple reasons, it can happen to people with whom you have hard experiences, who have had experiences of trauma, who have other diagnoses or psychosocial problems. Also, a depression whether or not it’s functional of course you could commit suicide. Any human being can be at risk of suicide.
It may interest you:
Depression in menopause? Tips to cope
How to start the day when you have depression? here some tips
This is what depression can look like in daily life
