What is smiling depression and what makes it dangerous? (video)

The term “smiling depression” has become very popular in the media recently, but it’s not a new type of depression. It’s a new name for Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD), also known as dysthymia. In this video, we talk about what makes PDD particularly dangerous.

Hi, I’m Deborah Gray and this is my son Lawrence Gager.

You’ve probably seen a lot recently about something called smiling depression. We’re gonna talk about it and why it’s actually more dangerous than major depression.

Smiling depression is actually – its technical term is persistent depressive disorder although for a long, long time it was known as to dysthymia. It’s also known as high-functioning depression. It – people, some people call it walking depression, which I guess is supposed to be kind of like walking pneumonia where you’re –

You’re just chilling.

You’re around, you know.

You’re walking around.

You’re doing your normal thing but you still have pneumonia.

Anyway, so this is something I’m very familiar with because I had it for 20 years before I was diagnosed with depression at the age of 27.

So, persistent depressive disorder is different from what a lot of people think of as depression. So, a lot of people think of depression as when you can’t get out of bed, and that is the case with major depression for a lot of people – not everyone. But, so, I had this for 20 years and I never had one day where I couldn’t get out of bed. I – when I was younger I went to school most days, I, you know, I had hobbies, I had activities I did and I functioned fine. I had moments of happiness, which is one of the other things that – it makes something like persistent depressive disorder so dangerous, is that people do have moments of happiness, so then it never occurs to them or the people around them that they could be depressed.

They’re functioning fine, they do have moments of happiness, happiness, possibly days of happiness, maybe weeks of happiness. So the reason that I actually ultimately went to a doctor and got diagnosed was not because of the PDD. It was because I was in my third bout of major depression, so the major depression is actually what sent me to the doctor, because at that point I wasn’t functioning very well. I was still going to work but there were a lot of other things that were going on that made it clear to me that something was desperately wrong.

The, the way I would describe PDD, as opposed to major depression, is major depression is like a thunderstorm, okay? It’s intense, it’s um, but it’s short, okay? So whereas PDD is like perpetual –

Downpour.

Clouds, clouds, and rain. I mean, so think about which would be worse potentially. Um, something that only lasts at most probably a few months, or something that can go on for years and years and years. The fact is it’s, it’s very wearing and I think that having it go on for that long also – which is like literally years for most people and that’s why it’s called Persistent Depressive Disorder – is that it kind of erodes your hope, bit by bit by bit. The longer something goes on, I think, the less hope you have.

The reason that PDD is more dangerous than major depression, which is what a lot of people think of when they think of depression. They think of someone, you know, lying in bed, basically not able to function, and that’s the case a lot of times with major depression. It’s very hard for people to function. Um, the reason why it’s dangerous if you, if you have this, this high functioning depression, is because you could be suicidal and you have the wherewithal, in other words, the organizational capabilities and you know, all – other cognitive abilities to carry out a suicide.

Someone who has major depression and is barely able to function generally is not capable of being organized enough to successfully kill themselves. So this is also why, for instance, I say on my website one of the most dangerous times, when you have gone on antidepressants, is when you are recovered to some extent. So you feel – you, your functioning is better but you still are not at the point where your depression is gone.

So, so the the danger is essentially with people with PDD is they fly under the radar. They may know that they have depression but they’re able to hide it so well at work, at school, wherever that – you know, from their friends maybe even from their family if they’re an adult – that people, no one around them knows and isn’t, isn’t able to check on them like you really need to do with a friend or family member who has depression and you know gauge the level of their depression ask important things like, “Are you suicidal? If you’re, if, you know, are you having suicidal thoughts and if you’re having suicidal thoughts do you have a plan? Do you have a concrete plan?” And, and also, just you know, aside from things like, like trying to make sure they don’t kill themselves, things like just checking in and, and giving them support, and you know giving them support with the recognition that their situation is different from your friends who don’t – and family members who don’t – have depression. And it’s really important if you think that you might have PDD or that you know someone who might have PDD is to seek help. Talk to a doctor. If the doctor finds that it’s not the case, fine that’s – it’s, I mean, it’s no big deal.

Because think about the alternative. The alternative is missed time, especially if you’re young, and it can change the course of your life and not for the better. And life is short, you know. I mean, it’s –

Very. Very short.

Yeah, I mean, you don’t want to – I wish we could get the years back that you lost and you know, it wasn’t 20 years but it certainly was, you know, it was ten years, I’d say, maybe? Close. It felt like a long time and it’s, it’s just – it’s worth taking the time, doing the research. and do research If this sounds, it just sounds like, you know, something that you – or someone you know – might have, just do the research and make an appointment with a doctor.

And another lesson I learned once a while you do have a doctor that will brush off your concerns. If you feel in your gut that something’s wrong with you or someone else, you just persist, okay? You talk to someone else. It’s, it’s really important. I actually went to a doctor when I was – so I was diagnosed when I was 27. When I was 21 or 22, I went to a doctor and I said, “I think something’s wrong. It feels like…,” and you can laugh at this if you want, “…it feels like PMS lasts all month.”

And so, I think he meant well, but basically he told me to, he told me to log my moods. But he didn’t make a follow-up appointment. And the thing is, I was in a major depression at that point, and I, I was in my last semester of my senior year in college. I was worrying about getting a job, I was trying to make sure I passed math (which I found out at the last minute I had to do to graduate college).

And I just, I wasn’t in any kind of emotional shape to do it. Maybe if he had given me some kind of chart or something that was a little more organized. So then I went on another five years with depression. And, and so test – trust, trust yourself if you think something’s wrong, just be really persistent. Because you may run into people who say, “Oh well, you know, you seem to be doing okay. You seem to be walking and talking and and working,” or going, you know.

Yeah.

Making your grades.

Being a functioning person.

So it’s, it’s really important because of the possible tragic consequences for you or for someone you know, to take this seriously. Even if someone’s functioning, that’s, that’s not really the definition of a good life, you know? That’s not what I’d call a good life.

Meaningless.

Functioning is not what life is supposed to be about.

So, if you want to learn more about my experience with depression, I’ll put a link to my story in the description. And if this video has been helpful, please give it a like, please subscribe if you’d like to see more and also please leave any comments about your experience with depression, be it high functioning, whatever it’s called “smiling” or whatever kind, because we always love to hear from you.

Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you next time.