What Depression Looks Like In High-Functioning Black Women

"The stereotype of the strong, capable Black woman persists. At times, it may seem like Black women have no choice but to pretend everything is well."

The Expectation

If you have been feeling odd for months, procrastinating more than usual, and having trouble focusing on things like reading a good book or beginning a TV show, there may be more to it.

Imagine making a doctor's visit and hearing that you were depressed. It's not natural to be constantly triggered by prior trauma and a constant desire to sleep. It hinders your work, you realize.

After hearing this, your doctor may say, "This sounds like depression." A complete diagnostic test and appointment might diagnose you. The strange aspect is that you can function amid all of this. Your social life, relationship, and career may still be great. How could you be depressed when everything was going well?

"One may envision depression to look like laying in bed with the curtains drawn in your jammies with your hair all over your head, not practicing daily hygiene, hardly eating," says Texas-based grieving and trauma-certified clinical social worker Jasmine Cobb. "But working-class Black people don't have time for that; we must go to work and keep progressing. Many depressed and anxious persons instinctively hide their symptoms as high-functioning or productive."

Grief & Depression

There is a stigma attached to discussing mental health in Black communities, the assumption that Black women are superwomen who can do it all, and the continual need to keep working, all of which may give the impression that there is just no space in this society for a Black woman who is not alright.

When it comes to mental health in the Black community, the sense of grieving is widespread and sometimes misunderstood as depression.

It's a powerful, often overpowering sensation of grief that follows a severe loss, which, according to common opinion, is not restricted to death.

It may happen after any kind of significant loss. According to Cobb, "It's also connected to other sorts of loss that we generally don't think about, like the loss of trust, security, and hope."

How Can We Help Ourselves?

Opening up and reaching out for assistance are necessary steps in the treatment process for mental health conditions such as depression and grief.

However, this task is not over once a patient leaves the doctor's office. We need to start making holistic self-care a priority, and once we do that, the healing process will become similar to an organic chain reaction, in which one aspect will start to improve together with the others.

Therefore, this includes one's mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, social, and financial state. It is not necessary for therapy to have a monopoly on healing; nonetheless, it may be useful and utilized in combination with other coping methods, such as a carefully curated mix of activities that raise endorphin levels, like aromatherapy, music therapy, exercise, and meditation.

This procedure considers Black women's distinct experiences and positions in society and is designed to be culturally sensitive to their needs.

You should do all in your power to ensure that both your therapist and your family doctor reflect the fact that you are a Black person. This not only makes such places seem safer, but it also gives you the capacity to address some of the more culturally sensitive aspects of being a Black woman. This indicates that your therapist knows, without the need for you to explain it, some of the factors that may be contributing to the depression that you are experiencing.

By Dominique Lambright | Published February 1, 2023