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Everything feels a lot harder when you’re dealing with high-functioning depression ― including relationships.
Experts say the condition often isn’t noticeable to most people, because those who experience it tend to mask it well. This arguably makes the disorder difficult for partners to detect and the people who deal with it hesitant to speak up in the first place.
The symptoms are aligned with those of depression, including irritability and extreme sadness. But the average observer wouldn’t necessarily know it based on how the sufferer is acting.
Luckily, knowledge is power. Education about mental health issues helps people who don’t experience them understand the disorders a little bit better. And in a world where only 25 percent of people with mental illness feel like others are sympathetic to their condition, compassion can go a long way.