Kusha Kapila, who started her career as a social media influencer and now actress, was identified as having both ADD and high-functioning depression in 2020. During an interview, she disclosed that many other women had identified her as having ADD long before she herself did, based only on her behaviour.
In a previous tweet, Kusha opened up about her brush with it.Her tweet read, “As someone who has worked exactly like this since 2016, I can tell you that other than high functioning depression and triggering my ADHD, this hustle has completely destroyed the idea of a life outside of work for me. I am not saying it’s not rewarding but the burnout is real.”

What is high-functioning depression?

High-functioning depression, as discussed by social media influencer Kusha Kapila refers to the situation where an individual appears to function normally externally, however, is highly emotionally distressed internally. It sometimes becomes very challenging to identify if an individual is experiencing high-functioning depression because the sufferer can go to extreme extents to conceal their symptoms.”

Here are a few symptoms of high-functioning depression that people may overlook:

* According to Aashmeen Munjaal, Mental Health Expert, “Firstly, an individual experiences constant feelings of loneliness and sadness internally but conceals that from others which contributes to high-functioning depression.”
* ⁠The difficulty to find happiness and joy in social activities and withdrawal from social interactions influence depression.
* ⁠The person suffering from depression may appear calm and composed on the outside however, they may feel irritated and frustrated from inside. These are just daily life events and emotions that an individual can experience, but they do not understand that it is actually impacting their well-being.
* ⁠High-functioning depression can make you a self-critic and a perfectionist. It can also cause damage to your cognitive ability, and you may ignore the actual problem.
You must realise that early detection and intervention can help you to improve your quality of life. If it becomes too difficult and overwhelming then you must seek professional advice and help.