Existential Depression: When Life Has No More Meaning

People with high intellectual abilities can suffer from a very special form of depression. This shows when they have the feeling that life has no meaning, that it is unjust and limited, is characterized by loneliness and does not grant freedom.

The existential depression is known a little, but recurring form of mental illness. Their characteristics include, for example, a feeling of not fulfilling expectations, that life is meaningless or the world is unfair, a scenario plagued by injustice and infinite inequality.

This term may seem strange or even risky from a clinical standpoint. It cannot be found in the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders) and you may not know anyone with this diagnosis. However, it is a fairly common mental condition that more people suffer from than we would think.

The existential depression viewed historically

In 2012 the doctor Robert Seubert published one  Research article in the Journal of the European Psychiatric Association to suggest that part of our society is unresponsive to common treatments for depression, and this could be due to personality type or even high intellectual ability.

There are people who move around in other psychic universes where they ask deeper questions and experience a kind of suffering that is not common. Feeling fearful of the future of the world or sadness about not finding the true meaning in life can cause a very special type of depression.

Existential Depression: Definition, Symptoms, and Causes

This kind of depression reminds us of authors like Søren Kierkegaard or Friedrich Nietzsche. Her philosophical treatises speak of freedom and individual responsibility, human loneliness and the classic concept of existential fear.

This concept relates to fear of the future,  the effects of decisions, dizziness caused by fear of not achieving what one expects. But what does this have to do with existential depression?

Very much. Irvin David Yalom, professor of psychiatry at Stanford University and psychotherapist, has studied this psychological condition particularly intensively. One of his outstanding works is entitled “Existential Psychotherapy”.

In it, the scientist talks about the most important characteristics of people with this type of depression. As you will see in the course of our article, there is a great similarity with the most representative figures of philosophical existentialism.

The existential depression and its symptoms

Every depression is multidimensional and complex. Affected people experience this disease very differently, with other disorders often occurring at the same time, for example anxiety disorders. However,  existential depression leads to specific symptoms, such as:

• Existential void: Affected people see no meaning in their existence. They feel empty, everything is unimportant and nothing can enrich their minds or induce authentic feelings.
• You feel like you are not being understood. Therefore, they feel alienated and lonely from this world.
• You cannot realize yourself. Those affected perceive society as limited and see no possibility of promoting creative, professional, human or social growth.

• Affected people suffer from social injustice, inequality and a lack of freedom.
• They often think of death. People with existential depression worry about human impermanence and also have suicidal thoughts.
• Physical complaints  such as exhaustion, insomnia, hypersomnia or eating disorders are also characteristic.

This type of depression is more common in people with high intelligence

Existential depression is viewed within the framework of a theory developed by the psychiatrist Kazimierz Dabrowski (1902-1980). This approach is known as “positive disintegration” and can be explained as follows:

• There are 5 different stages of human development.
• But around 70% of the population do not get beyond the first three phases. In these phases, people get used to social guidelines and eventually find their place in them by adapting.

• However, 30% of the population reach the peak of personal development, which however no longer means wisdom or well-being,  but leads to an existential crisis. You don’t feel integrated into society’s expectations.
• The doctor Dabrowski described this condition as  positive disintegration. This means that people who reach this stage of development feel compelled to redefine themselves by first disassembling and then rebuilding.
• Very often, however, they go through a phase of profound doubts and the fear of not finding the meaning in life.
• Often people with a high IQ suffer from existential anxiety.

Therapeutic strategies

Can Existential Depression Be Treated? The answer is yes, like other mood disorders, this type of depression can be treated.

In general, it is important to develop an individual therapeutic strategy that takes into account the specific needs of each individual. In addition to psychological therapy, pharmacological treatments (antidepressants) are also used in this context. But how can you help highly intelligent people with existential depression?

• Cognitive behavioral therapy can be used successfully in this case. It enables those affected to concentrate their thoughts on the positive aspects of life and to find meaning in their existence. In addition, an attempt must be made to find goals that enable the persons concerned to look optimistically into the future and to find new illusions.

• Emotional management helps sufferers to reduce their opposing and very complicated emotions. The goal in this case is the further development of the person concerned, but without fear and negativity.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps those affected to accept that the world is not what we would like it to be. They have to accept insecurities, contradictions and injustices without suffering so much that they can no longer do anything. Affected people must strive to achieve certain values ​​and goals.

Existential Depression, a disorder that doesn’t show up in manuals

Finally, we would like to point out once again that existential depression can be treated successfully, even if it is not described in diagnostic manuals. Few patients know what is wrong with them when they seek help. Appropriate therapy, however, is essential to alleviate your negative feelings and promote your well-being.