Miss USA’s late mother on mental health, high-functioning depression

Even those who achieve success can struggle with feelings of loneliness and unbearable sadness behind closed doors—a condition commonly called high-functioning depression.

High-functioning depression is not a clinical diagnosis, but the National Alliance on Mental Illness recognizes it as a term that can describe “anyone who is dealing with mental health issues while performing their daily tasks and carrying out their responsibilities.” .

Symptoms of high-functioning depression can manifest differently from the more severe signs of major depressive disorder, such as changes in diet, sleep disturbances, fatigue and feelings of hopelessness, says April Simpkins, mother of the late Miss USA winner. , Cheslie Kryst.

After her daughter’s death at the age of 30 in 2022, Simpkins revealed that Cheslie struggled with depression for years despite being a lawyer, winning pageant titles and securing a spot as a correspondent for the TV show “Extra.” Although Simpkins is not a doctor or therapist, she began serving as an ambassador for NAMI.

“For some people like Cheslie, it can feel that way [it’s] it’s normal to be in a state of feeling sad or lonely. And speaking specifically to Cheslie, those were some of the things I noticed,” Simpkins told CNBC Make It.

“I think what I noticed most was her sense that the incredible and extraordinary things she was doing were just okay. I didn’t see high signs of joy, and that doesn’t mean every time, but most of the time when she would to think ‘Wow, that was great or beautiful. She would just see it as okay.’

We spoke with Chase Cassine, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, about managing the symptoms of high-functioning depression. Here’s what he recommends.

1. Let your support system be there for you: “High-functioning depression will tell you that you’re alone in this world, and that’s not true. So let your support system be there for you,” says Cassine.
2. Break your cycle and do things outside your home: It can be as simple as going for a run to the goal or as grand as going on a vacation.
3. Journal about how you feel
4. Create a safe space: Cultivate relationships with the people in your life where you can communicate how you feel and feel comfortable sharing. For some, the people you share with may be friends; for others, it may be a therapist.
5. Practice yoga and mindfulness: If you find yourself “so busy, caught up in being a huge success, thinking about what’s next, practice a little mindfulness,” he says. “Attention makes us be present in this moment, identify what we feel and [realize] that emotions are fleeting, they don’t last, and that we can identify what we feel and release those things.”
6. Seek professional help: “If it’s been constant sadness, if it’s starting to affect their work, their ability to function,” then that’s a sign you should seek additional support from a professional. “Talk to your healthcare professional first to rule some out [medical] things, [and] consider doing cognitive behavioral therapy.”

Cassine also has advice for people who suspect their loved one is dealing with high-functioning depression. He suggests offering to buy the person a meal or asking them to come with you while you run errands.

“I want friends and family, that village, that community, I want them to start with that first: to lead with compassion and gratitude, that we all, we allwe experience different stressors, we experience different disasters, different things that can affect us all differently,” says Cassine.

“What we all desire as human beings [are] these three things: we want to feel seen, heard [and] appreciated.”

One of Kryst’s last wishes was for her mother to publish a manuscript she had been working on. “By The Time You Read This” published this April.

“She was my best friend, she’s my daughter, she was my person, and if she leaves me a wish, something that she wants to be done and she can’t do it for herself, I’m going to the mattress to ‘made sure it was done,’ says Simpkins.

“I will literally move heaven and earth.”

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