Living Behind the Mask: A Phenomenological Study of High-Functioning Depression Among Young Adults

Junjie  Weng; Yosef  Abdul; Noor  Khoury

Authors

Junjie Weng Department of Educational Studies & Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences & Technology (FEST), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5794-2611
Yosef Abdul School of Applied Psychology, Social Work and Policy, University of Utara, Sintok 06010, Malaysia Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8034-570X
Noor Khoury Department of Professional Psychology, Bahria University Lahore Campus, Lahore 54600, Pakistan Author https://orcid.org/0009-0003-7168-6265

Keywords:

high-functioning depression, young adults, phenomenology, emotional masking, psychological distress, help-seeking, Malaysia

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of high-functioning depression among young adults in Malaysia, with particular attention to concealed distress, sustained external functioning, interpersonal experiences, and help-seeking.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed a phenomenological design and included 18 young adults aged 19–29 years residing in Malaysia who were selected through purposive sampling. Participants reported persistent depressive experiences while continuing to maintain academic, occupational, social, or familial responsibilities. Data were collected through individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face or through secure online platforms. Interviews explored internal depressive experiences, emotional concealment, productivity, interpersonal expectations, coping strategies, identity, and help-seeking. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a phenomenological thematic procedure informed by Colaizzi’s method. Significant statements were extracted, formulated meanings were developed, and related meanings were organized into thematic clusters and overarching themes. Trustworthiness was enhanced through reflexivity, repeated transcript review, researcher discussion, and comparison of interpretations with original participant accounts.

Findings: Analysis identified six interrelated themes: performing wellness and competence, achievement as camouflage and psychological control, hidden depletion and private collapse, living as a divided self, invisible suffering within relationships and social expectations, and delayed recognition, selective disclosure, and efforts to survive. The findings indicated that participants’ visible competence frequently concealed substantial internal distress. Achievement and productivity functioned as both coping mechanisms and forms of concealment, while sustained performance contributed to emotional exhaustion and private deterioration. Participants commonly experienced a discrepancy between their public and private selves, felt misunderstood because of their apparent competence, and delayed help-seeking because they believed continued functioning meant their distress was insufficiently serious.

Conclusion: High-functioning depression among young adults appears to involve a cyclical process in which external competence masks psychological suffering, reinforces self-invalidation, and delays recognition and support; therefore, assessment should extend beyond visible functioning to the emotional cost required to sustain it.

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