Why Great Success Often Leads to Severe Depression

Depression is often thought to be brought on by feelings of failure, but it can also exist even when things are going exceptionally well. The truth is success can be a double-edged sword. While it can bring joy, abundance, and fulfillment, it can also lead to severe depression. This paradoxical phenomenon has been studied by psychologists for decades, and there is consensus that a strong link exists between severe depression and great success.

In the United States alone, approximately 7% of adults have experienced major depressive disorder at some point in their lives — that’s a shocking 28 million people. Depression can also lead to suicide (one of the Top 10 causes of death globally) — every year about 1 million people worldwide choose to end their lives.

It can be hard to predict whether someone will become depressed following (or in-conjunction-with) success. But here are some things we have learned:

Depression can be a side effect of success. If a person is a high achiever who has amassed great accomplishments in the past, that person may be at risk for depression if the current level of success doesn’t seem to make a visible difference in your life.

Depression can also be a symptom of success. When a person first starts to recognize that the lifestyle they’ve always wanted is within reach, depression may set in as a way for the brain to slow down so that the person doesn’t get too excited about what’s coming next (to protect itself from disappointment).

Depression can be a cause of success. If someone has been struggling with depression for some time, then finally becoming successful makes that person feel even worse about themselves because they realize how far away they are from where they want or need their life to be at this point in time (so instead of being happy about what they have achieved so far, they’re sad because it isn’t enough yet).

Depression can also result from positive events. Successes such as promotions at work or getting accepted into college are positive events that can make people feel even more stuck than before because now there are even more expectations placed on them by both themselves and others (often these new expectations come with increased responsibilities and commitments).

If a person is in a field where there’s some kind of public recognition, the person will likely be subjected to a lot more scrutiny — that pressure to maintain success and remain relevant at a time when the world is undergoing such substantial changes can lead to high levels of anxiety and depression. A study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry showed that 43% of people who have had even one great public success, subsequently suffered from depression.

Successful people tend to focus on what they’ve achieved and take their successes for granted because they’re used to achieving goals and setting new objectives when old objectives are reached; they may also be overcome with negative thoughts about themselves or their lives when they reach certain milestones or goals and feel their level of success isn’t where it needs to be, according to (often) unreasonable self expectations.

In a JAMA study, researchers found that over a ten year period, 10 out of 10 extremely successful people who were interviewed for this study had had some sort of problem with either depression or addiction. This is pretty eye-opening in and of itself. But what was even more shocking to me was that many of these people were considered to be the greatest minds in their fields. They were all very intelligent, from psychologists and writers to Nobel Prize winners and high-powered CEOs. What’s more, most were highly regarded as role models for others — yet despite their accolades and high regard amongst their peers and society at large, they still experienced serious mental health issues during their lives.

A common symptom of depression is feeling overwhelmed with negative emotions about yourself and your life after reaching an important goal (or series of goals). A successful person might feel like everything is pointless or hopeless because there’s nothing left for them to professionally achieve in the wake of a major accomplishment — they’ve done everything they’ve sought to do in their field and now feel empty. This can lead some people down a slippery slope into serious depression where they lose motivation, stop caring about anything other than getting through each day without hurting themselves.

The costs of success can be significant and are often overlooked. The pressure of having to live up to high expectations, the cost of time and energy, and the need to constantly strive for more causes people to isolate themselves from others. Relationships suffer as your family members or friends can’t keep up with the successful person’s busy schedule — and more-than-not, the person may choose to become more focused on work than their loved ones.

So if you find yourself in this position, what’s to be done?

The first step in coping with depression is to acknowledge it. Depression affects people physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s not an easy thing to talk about because of the stigma surrounding mental health disorders. But if you’re experiencing symptoms of depression or are worried about your own wellbeing, you can’t afford to stay silent anymore — you need help.

When you open up about your mental health issues and talk about them with a professional therapist or doctor who understands what you’re going through, it helps reduce stress levels in the long run. And when we’re talking about emotional stressors like relationship problems at work or home life issues with children/partners/friends etc., there needs to be someone else around who has been through similar experiences themselves so therefore can empathize with what one must go through when dealing with these types of situations and share their perspective.

As you begin the process of moving past depression, remember that success is fleeting. It’s important to focus on the positive and avoid comparing yourself to others. You may not be where you want to be now, but with time and effort, you will get there. Don’t let your depression define who you are as a person or your future opportunities; instead, keep in mind that every experience is an opportunity for growth.

It’s important to remind yourself that a career is only one part of a much wider picture. Your mental health is more important as your job, and if you don’t take care of yourself now, it will be harder to be successful later.

Take some time to reflect on what makes you happy and healthy. If there’s something missing in your life right now, think about how you can make some changes that will help fill that void. If everything seems fine but you still feel unfulfilled at work (or want more out of it than just a paycheck), then consider finding another job or career path that better fits those needs. You deserve it.

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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