High Functioning
Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy
By Dr. Judith Joseph
Must read
Based on the first of its kind study on high functioning depression.
Book Review
By Charles Mattocks
The first book to unmask the hidden face of depression. If you look fine on the outside but don’t feel fine on the inside, learn five tools to break the cycle of High Functioning Depression and experience more joy in your life.
Are you going through a period in your life when things feel “off”? Do you struggle to find joy in happy moments? Are you walking around feeling numb? Do you feel restless when you aren’t busy or empty when you are sitting still? We all know what can’t-get-out-of-bed depression looks like. But there’s another, lesser-known side of depression that is hidden.
Those of us with High-Functioning Depression (HFD) usually don’t act the way we think a depressed person might. On the surface, we seem fine: We are succeeding at work, pulling our weight at home, and carrying on with our typical social life. Yet behind that mask of productivity we are barely surviving, and certainly not thriving. And we may have no idea why, or what to do about it.
In High Functioning, Dr. Judith Joseph draws on original research, client cases, and her own personal struggles with HFD to demystify this poorly understood condition. Her five simple tools—the Five V’s—will help you understand the science of your happiness and empower you to reclaim your life and joy.
•Validation: Acknowledge and accept your emotions about past traumas and present pain
•Venting: Let out the frustrations and anxious energy bottled up inside
•Values: Identify the purpose and priorities that matter most
•Vitals: Slow down to listen to your brain and body and monitor the six vital signs of emotional functioning
•Vision: Plan for and celebrate successes, milestones, and everyday joy
By following the Five V’s, we can put an end to self-sacrificing and self-sabotaging, calm our inner turmoil, and go from merely functioning to truly living.
Learn more at: DrJudithJoseph.com
About the author
Dr. Judith Joseph
Judith Joseph, M.D., M.B.A, is a Board Certified Psychiatrist. Dr. Judith is Chair of The Women in Medicine Initiative for Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. Dr. Judith is a clinical assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. She has conducted several clinical research studies in pediatric, adult, geriatric and women’s mental health as the Principal Investigator of her research lab, Manhattan Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Judith developed the T.I.E.S. method to address mental health symptoms in menopause. She is on the board of Let’s Talk Menopause, a national non-profit organization which recently advocated in December 2023 for the Menopause Research and Equity Act in the US Congress alongside Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Dr. Judith is conducting the first of its kind research study in High Functioning Depression in her laboratories and will publish a book on High Functioning Depression with Little Brown Spark in 2025.
Dr. Judith recently received a 2023 Congressional Proclamation from the US house of representatives for her social media advocacy and research in mental health. Dr. Judith is an internationally renowned speaker. She has been a lecturer and professional speaker at prestigious intuitions such as The Executive Office of The President of The United States at The White House, Ivy League Universities and Fortune 500 companies across the United States and Europe. She is an official Masterclass Instructor and taught the first Masterclass on Menopause alongside Halle Berry and other experts.
Dr. Judith is an expert on various media platforms and has made national television appearances on Oprah Daily’s The Life You Want Series, Good Morning America, The Wendy Williams Show, Investigation Discovery, Today Show and CBS news. She is a medical consultant for Apple TV where she was in the writer’s room for The Crowded Room series. Her episode on High Functioning Depression on The Mel Robbins Podcast received record ratings. She recently received a 2020 and 2023 Share Care Award for her MedCircle series on PTSD and a Good Morning America investigative special on ADHD.
Dr. Judith was named as a 2024 Black Health Hero by PopSugar Inc. She was also named a 2024 VeryWell Mind Top 25 Mental Health Thought Leader and a 2024 NAACP Top 6 Mental Health Champion.
Dr. Judith teaches medical media courses to physicians and medical students at Columbia University and New York University. Dr. Judith received her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry, cum laude, from Duke University, her medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her business degree from Columbia Business School. She completed her adult psychiatry residency at Columbia University, and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at NYU Langone Medical Center. She lives in New York City.