So you know how you’ve heard of the term high functioning depression? And this implies the frustrating concept of low functioning depression?

Fuck that shit. High functioning is a label that people slap on individuals who are depressed, yet still can conform well enough to pass as a “normal” or even an “extraordinary” individual. So in order to be considered well-adjusted enough to have this sticker of societal approval, you need to fall in line with markers of what other people think is successful. If these markers meet your definitions of success, great! Who gives a fuck if they say that makes you high functioning, the important thing is you have met your criteria for excellence. Remember special is boring.

And if you don’t meet the expectations required for a positive sticker of societal approval, also great! Because you can instead focus on whatever the fuck you want and not have to give a shit about impressing fascistic assholes dedicated to making you fit narrowly pre-defined conventions of behavior.

Then there’s the flip-side which is the low functioning depression. These are the patterns of interaction that are not approved of or considered helpful by the people who serve as the normalcy police. And you might sometimes agree with those decisions, because you like fitting the high functioning label, or even because you feel you can’t dispute that the low functioning behaviors are negative.

But it’s a trap. It reinforces seeking external approval to define what is “well” and denigrates self-reliance that doesn’t conform to expectations of what is “functional.” And it causes people who are “high-functioning” to see this as a status symbol that they might be afraid to lose, creating pressure to conform even when it comes at a cost.

So you know high or low functioning, you decide how much to care about the label, and you choose whether or not to fake it forever.