The Unrecognized Strengths of Depression

Depression affects over 21 million Americans per year, making it a leading source of disability in the United States. For many, having depression is a life-changing experience. Depression can make us feel hopeless, isolated, and powerless even when everything about our lives seems OK “on paper.” Fortunately, public awareness about depression has increased substantially over the past 20 years, and talking about depression is more accepted now than ever.

Despite this progress, most TikTok and YouTube videos that talk about depression—that I see—lack depth. In a 2020 study, my psychology colleagues and I watched over 300 YouTube videos about depression, and we were concerned by our results. While videos did a good job noting the clinical symptoms of depression, just 15% of videos mentioned any strengths, or positive experiences, from having depression (Devendorf et al., 2023).

In other words, we felt that depression was too often talked about as a caricature—think about the classic “headclutcher” images of depression. These overly negative messages may not represent everyone’s depression experience. And, talking about the strengths in depression can even help reduce mental health stigma.

An example of a "headclutcher" image, often used to represent depression.

Source: Pixabay / Free to Use (CCO)

A Personal Story: Finding Meaning in Depression

But first, who am I to talk about the upsides of depression? As a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of lived experience with depression, I am all too aware of its crippling nature. After years of hiding my depression due to fears of prejudice and judgment, I finally sought treatment in college and tried antidepressants. My provider told me that depression was a “disease caused by a chemical imbalance.” She said, “Depression is something you’ll suffer with for your entire life.”

My provider was well-intentioned. I imagine she wanted to validate my experiences and take away any self-blame. This worked for a bit—like many, believing my depression was a disease did take away blame. But in hindsight, this simplistic idea that depression was a disease probably hurt me more than it helped me.

First, research shows that depression is actually not simply a biological condition (Moncrieef et al., 2023). Depression has no one cause. For many, depression is best understood by considering a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. Second, research shows that while disease messages about depression can reduce blame, disease messages can worsen a patient’s feelings of hopelessness, make patients feel more “different,” and reduce patients’ willingness to try non-biological treatments (Haslam & Kvaale, 2015). I experienced all these downsides in my story.

Rather than attempting to learn to live with my chronic low moods, ruminative mind, and hopeless thoughts, I viewed these experiences as a problem that needed to be fixed. And further, I believed that these problems could only be fixed with a biological treatment—although many different types of treatments, like therapy, social support, and lifestyle changes can help people feel better. To my dismay, no single strategy that I tried could completely “fix” my depression.

I did improve over time. I wish I could share that there was a “magic bullet.” But there isn’t in my story. Rather, at different times in my life, some strategies have worked like going to therapy, living a values-consistent life, regular exercise, keeping up with my support systems, making music… At other times, these strategies aren’t enough. And my depression returns.

What has helped me over the long term is taking a new view of my depression—rather than thinking of depression as a disease, I have reflected on what I have gained from the experience. This strengths-based view has helped me develop a level of gratitude for my dark times, rather than feeling pure frustration. I am not the first person to take this approach (Nesse, 2019). But as discussed, this strengths-based perspective is often unrecognized by the public.

Strengths of Depression

Here are just some of the strengths that people talk about from having depression. These are common themes I have learned from my research, my clinical work, and my own lived experiences. This list is not exhaustive and thus does not represent everyone’s experience.

1. Ability to empathize with others. Having depression can make people feel the worst they have ever felt in their lives. Not just mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. Depression can feel so terrible that people contemplate life itself. Unfortunately, the impact of depression is not easily seen by the naked eye. The invisibility of this pain can make it difficult for others to understand. However, having gone through these experiences, some people with depression find it easier to take the perspective of others when they are suffering. As a result, people might feel more compassionate for others who are fighting invisible battles.

2. Find meaning from suffering. For some people, a depressive episode may be a turning point in their life to find meaning and purpose. My depression, for example, has motivated me to find ways of helping others. This perspective is taught in the popular book, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Dr. Victor Frankl. Dr. Frankl was a psychiatrist who was imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps from 1942-1945. He emphasized that while suffering is not necessary for finding meaning, there can be meaning found in tragedy:

“We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into triumph, to turn one's predicament into a human achievement.” (Frankl, 1985, p. 112).

3. Resources to help others and tools to fight stigma. While there is more public awareness about depression, there continue to be many barriers for people to find reliable mental health information and care. People who are first diagnosed with a mental health condition often wonder, “How do I find a therapist?” “How do I find the right therapist?” “What resources can help?” As depression can last for several months to years, many patients will have a wealth of knowledge for navigating the condition, itself, as well as the United States healthcare system. People with lived experience can also share their personal stories about how they have overcome these obstacles. These stories can be a powerful way to normalize mental health challenges and reduce stigma.

4. Better understanding of self and needs. Depression can occur for many reasons. But sometimes, the reason is not clear. It is normal for people to wonder, “My life seems OK, so why am I feeling depressed?” Through depression, people might gain the opportunity to reflect on their life’s values, priorities, and goals, and see if they are meeting their own needs. This is one reason why many people find therapy to be helpful—they develop a better sense of self. So, while depression is certainly painful, it can in the long term promote self-growth and self-acceptance.

5. Using depression as a signal. Related to the previous point, depression can be an important sign of something that is not working in our lives. A large body of research has studied the functional value of mood and emotions (Kashdan & Biswas-Diener, 2015; Nesse, 2019). In summary, our emotions can help us respond appropriately to different situations. So, what is the value of feeling depressed? Well, new perspectives propose that depression can be used as a signal that something is wrong (Schroder et al., 2023). When we “listen” to—and feel—our depression, we might benefit from seeing if there have been changes in our lives that need to be addressed.

Depression can be painful, agonizing, and devastating—let’s never forget that. That said, let’s also remember the spectrum of human experiences. By recognizing the strengths of having depression, perhaps we, as a society, can do better to support others with depression.

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