High-functioning depression can be hard to spot, a psychiatrist says. People-pleasing can hide it even more.

Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist, highlights that high-functioning depression, an informal term for depression in individuals who appear successful, is often hidden by people-pleasing behaviors. Untreated, it can lead to physical symptoms and unhealthy coping habits, with people-pleasing exacerbating the risk. The condition is not an official DSM-5 diagnosis but is used informally to describe cases where depression remains unnoticeable despite outward success.