Depression or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a debilitating condition in which a person experiences:
- Low energy
- Sadness
- Loss of motivation
- Disturbed sleep and eating patterns
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty focusing
- Loss of pleasure in previously enjoyable activities
These symptoms can overwhelm a depressed person, making them dysfunctional. That is, they’re unable to function normally in their day-to-day life. They find themselves so low on energy that they're unable to do even the simplest, routine tasks.
On the other hand, some people may experience depression, but it doesn’t make them dysfunctional. They’re able to continue functioning normally in their day-to-day life. They’re likely to have high-functioning depression. Outwardly, they appear normal and do not show any conspicuous signs of depression. But inwardly, they’re struggling. They’ve likely adopted measures to distract themselves from the negative thoughts and emotions accompanying depression.1Joseph, J. F., Tural, U., Joseph, N. D., Mendoza, T. E., Patel, E., Reifer, R., … & Mendoza, T. (2025). Understanding High-Functioning Depression in Adults. Cureus, 17(2).
What causes it?
Some people are more resilient than others. They’re able to carry on with their lives despite depression. Others may be in a position where they can’t afford the losses in productivity that accompany depression. They pull themselves together and carry on functioning. Even though the simplest daily tasks seem burdensome, they do them anyway.
Some may deploy effective coping and defense mechanisms to cope with the negative thoughts and emotions accompanying depression. One defense mechanism is sublimation when people channel their negative feelings into something creative and productive.2Kim, E., Zeppenfeld, V., & Cohen, D. (2013). Sublimation, culture, and creativity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105(4), 639. Others may believe that being depressed is weak. They fear exposing their weak self to the world, caving in to the societal pressure to appear good.
About the test
This test isn’t meant to be a diagnosis. If you’re experiencing severe depression symptoms, it’s recommended to get help from a professional. This test is for educational purposes and determines how likely it is that you have high-functioning depression. The results are only shown to you and not stored in our database.
