FACTS — Depression Does Not Always Look Like Sadness
“Depression does not always look like sadness.”
Depression can present very differently from person to person. In the workplace, someone may continue to smile, communicate, meet deadlines and appear to be coping, while experiencing significant difficulties internally.
It may show up as:
- Persistent exhaustion or low energy
- Reduced concentration or memory
- Irritability or becoming easily overwhelmed
- Withdrawing from colleagues
- Difficulty making decisions
- Reduced motivation
- Changes in productivity or performance
- Becoming quieter than usual
- Feeling emotionally numb or “flat”
- Increased mistakes or forgetfulness
- Finding ordinary demands much harder to manage
Someone can look well and still be struggling
Some employees become very skilled at hiding or compensating for how they feel, particularly if they are worried about judgement, stigma or how disclosure might affect their career.
A person may therefore appear productive throughout the working day but be completely exhausted afterwards.
Look beyond behaviour
Changes in behaviour or performance should not automatically be interpreted as laziness, disengagement, a poor attitude or lack of commitment.
A supportive approach might be:
“I've noticed things seem a little more difficult recently. Is there anything at work that we could do differently to support you?”
rather than making assumptions about what is happening.
You cannot always tell how much someone is struggling by how well they appear to be functioning.
Space to Breathe Therapy
