Not every smile means "I'm fine"! Learn about the depression hidden behind the smile

A 20-year-old sophomore boy Xiao A (pseudonym) has no history of major diseases. In school, Xiao A is cheerful and helpful. His classmates like him very much and his teachers praise him highly. In the eyes of his class teacher, he is excellent in both character and learning and is a student with great potential.

Little A has a strong personality and pursues perfection. As a "good boy" in everyone's eyes, he always appears cheerful and often suppresses his negative emotions.

I feel very unhappy recently, but I still pretend to be cheerful and maintain my "optimistic" persona. I have been depressed for the past two weeks, with decreased appetite and insomnia. In the past week, I have been distracted frequently during class, and my energy is very low, and my condition is not as good as before.

The family then took the child to Hunan Provincial Second People's Hospital (Hunan Provincial Brain Hospital) for treatment, and the initial diagnosis was smiling depressive disorder .

Smiling depressive disorder is a new type of depression and a symptom of a small number of depressed patients. It is as if the patients are covered with a veil of smile on the surface of their depressed mood. The root cause of the disease is that the patients are unable to properly deal with external pressure. What they have in common is that they are unwilling to confide and unwilling to give up their dignity, thus entering a vicious circle.

Although these patients feel extreme pain, depression, sorrow and sadness deep in their hearts, they appear calm on the outside and often smile. This smile does not come from their true feelings deep in their hearts, but is a forced smile in order to cope with social interactions, work, family, and for the sake of face.

So how do we help patients with smiling depression?

1. Increase awareness: Understand the symptoms and characteristics of smiling depression so that you can better identify people around you who may have problems.

2. Observe behavior: Pay attention to changes in their daily routines and behaviors, such as a loss of interest in activities they were previously interested in or signs of social withdrawal.

3. Provide support: Be a good listener, give patients positive care and respect, and make them feel that they are still needed and valuable.

4. Encourage professional help: Encourage them to seek professional medical help, including psychotherapy and medication, and accompany them to the hospital for treatment.

5. Pay attention to suicide signs: Identify the danger signs of suicide and intervene promptly when necessary, contacting professionals for assistance.

6. Provide a sense of security: Give patients a sense of security, let them know that they are not alone and that there are people willing to understand and help them.

7. Family support: Family members should provide warm listening and companionship, create a relaxed family atmosphere, and encourage patients to express their emotions.

8. Self-regulation: Encourage patients to learn ways to self-regulate their emotions, such as relieving stress through exercise, music, painting, etc.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liu Zhiying, Hunan Second People's Hospital (Hunan Brain Hospital)

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(Edited by ZS)