Often the term depression is always associated with many people with a feeling of sadness, despair, and a loss of desire to do any activities. This is the traditional image that we may always imagine if the word depression is mentioned before us, but have you heard about smiling depression before? What are its symptoms and how dangerous it is? Here we will explain everything related to smiling depression for you to take care of.

What is smiling depression?

Naturally, the symptoms of depression differ from one person to another, not all people are depressed in the same way and shape, but there are different types of depression, including smiling depression, this condition that may be dangerous for the sufferer, because the person who suffers from it may not show any signs or symptoms and remains happy and always smiling in the face of others, so no one suspects that he suffers from this type of depression and therefore the chances of others helping him to overcome this condition are delayed.

The case of smiling depression is considered one of the cases that are not recorded in the diagnoses of mental disorders, but it is an existing condition and is diagnosed according to the patient’s condition, and it is considered one of the depressive disorders, but atypical.

Symptoms of smiling depression

The person with this condition is happy and smiling on the outside to others, but on the inside he suffers from the difficult and painful symptoms of depression. These internal symptoms differ from one person to another depending on his condition, such as:

• Intense, deep and persistent sadness.
• Feeling lethargic and tired.
• changes in appetite
• changes in weight
• changes in sleep
• Feelings of despair control.
• Feeling of inferiority and lack of self-esteem.
• Loss of pleasure and interest in any activities, even if you enjoyed them before.

These symptoms may appear together and in full, or some of them may appear on the smiling depressed person, despite that you find this person in the presence of others and in public places, cohesive and does not show any of these symptoms, as you will find him in front of them:

• active .
• Its performance is high and good.
• He is stable and has a steady job, family and social life.
• Happy, optimistic and cheerful

And the person with this condition always seeks to export this image to others, because he thinks that:

• The appearance of symptoms of depression on him will make him a weak person.
• His denial of the condition is the best thing to make him feel better.
• Showing his true feelings is a big burden that he does not want to carry for anyone.
• Other people have their own problems, so why should he complain about his condition?
• The world and the people around it will be better than others.

And you always find him insisting that he is fine and not depressed, and he denies the situation and smiles. Which helps him with the symptoms of smiling depression, as the sufferer does not have any effect on his energy levels in front of others, but as soon as he is alone, his weakness appears.

Therefore, the risk of committing suicide is much higher in this case than in other cases of depression, especially if the person reaches symptoms of severe depression, then he has the energy and motivation to continue to get rid of himself without anyone realizing it.

Who are the people prone to smiling depression?

There are some factors that increase the risk of experiencing this type of depression, and we will explain most of them to you.

The occurrence of comprehensive changes in life

People who undergo major changes in their lives may be at risk of developing this type of depression, as it is possible that the infection comes after exposure to a certain situation, or going through an unsuccessful and failed relationship, or after losing a job, and other shocks and changes that may affect the person with depression.

Judgment release

Some people who are exposed to depression may feel more physical symptoms than the psychological and emotional symptoms, and this is due to the way some people think, and whether their thinking is directed externally or internally, as many of their thinking is directed externally and suppresses their feelings and does not focus on their psychological and emotional state, and thus faces stronger physical symptoms. and tougher.

Also, in some cultures it may be a shame to show weakness and seek help or draw attention, and this increases the chances of exposure to this depression.

Social Media

Nowadays, everyone has become addicted to different social media, whether old or young, so you find a lot of people immersed in this hypothetical state as an alternative reality.

And they feel that life is going well for everyone around them, so they start to hide their feelings and their true condition and refrain from publishing any pictures or cases that show the bad condition they are in, and even search for pictures and cases of their good and happy moments and share them through social media, as if they are fine like others, This factor in particular gives a large space for the growth of smiling depression in a person.

expectations

Others may limit you or yourself to certain expectations, such as that he likes to be better than you are or stronger, and other expectations, and these expectations may not be realistic. That is why you may start to hide your true feelings and psychological state that you feel for fear that these expectations will be lost in vain, whether in the eyes of yourself or in the eyes of others, and thus high and impossible aspirations and high standards may make you vulnerable to this type of depression.

How to Diagnose Smiling Depression?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the symptoms of smiling depression are at odds with the known symptoms of classic depression, which makes it difficult to diagnose. It also gets worse because some people with it may not feel that they have this type of depression and so do not seek medical help.

Therefore, diagnosing this condition requires a specialized doctor, because he will ask you specific questions that will help him diagnose the condition, whether the symptoms you are suffering from or the changes that occurred in your life during the recent period.

In most cases, a diagnosis of a depressive disorder is made, after experiencing a bout of depressive episodes that lasts for two weeks or more, and the symptoms of depression are in full control of you on a daily and continuous basis. Thus, your feelings and ways of thinking are affected and you are unable to deal with any daily activities, whether eating, sleeping or working.

Ways to treat smiling depression

This type of depression is similar in its treatment to other types of depression, which may require more than one method of treatment, such as medication, psychotherapy only, or lifestyle changes. But the most important thing and the first step in the way of treatment is for the person with this type of depression to confess his condition and talk about his feelings, whether to those around him or to a psychologist.

There are some people with this depression who may resort to some treatment methods found on the Internet, and start applying them to their condition to help get rid of the symptoms of depression and continue life, such as communicating with the lifeline and having a chat with them, as they specialize in providing psychological support for suicide prevention, through Providing assistance via the Internet and other methods available to all without assignment.

But usually Types of treatment for smiling depression, are:

Psychotherapy

Mostly talking with a professional doctor is one of the best ways to help relieve symptoms of depression, because it will help you to know yourself, and lead you to some strategies so that you can cope with your condition well, safely and effectively. He may engage you in some group therapy sessions that will be effective for your condition.

Medication treatment

The specialist doctor may see that your condition requires intervention for treatment with some medications, which may take a few weeks for satisfactory results to appear.

Better life management

This depression may be a result of exposure to pressure and stress and your inability to manage the stress that you are exposed to in your life, so some effective and comfortable life management methods guarantee you a treatment for this depression and its symptoms management.

good nutrition

Good nutrition, relying on useful and good foods, whether vegetables, fruits, healthy unsaturated fats, and exercising, may ensure that you reduce the symptoms of depression that you feel well.

In the end, we explain to you that the choice of treatment methods for a person with smiling depression depends on his condition itself, and the diagnosis of the symptoms he suffers from. It also depends on the specialist doctor’s view of your condition, who will take your hand in the best way to recover from depression, but the most important thing is that you acknowledge your condition and seek help.