Signs someone is FAKING depression

Have you ever spoken to someone or heard of someone who said that they were depressed but you couldn’t tell if they were faking it or if it was real?

But can someone fake depression? The answer is yes, people can fake depression.

Do you want to know why people would fake depression and how can you spot it when someone is faking depression? Well then my dear Psych2Goers, Keep reading.

The goal of this article is to shed light on the fact that there will be people who fake mental illness to get attention, fake mental illness and romanticism them, and stigmatizing and trivializing those who actually have a mental illness. This article aims to bring light to what real mental illness is.

Let’s begin by understanding what depression really is.

According to American Psychological Association (APA), “Depression is a negative affective state, ranging from unhappiness and discontent to an extreme feeling of sadness, pessimism, and despondency, that interferes with daily life. Various physical, cognitive, and social changes also tend to co-occur, including altered eating or sleeping habits, lack of energy or motivation, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, and withdrawal from social activities. It is symptomatic of a number of mental health disorders.”

But why would someone fake depression?
1. Failure to understand the symptoms and lack of knowledge surrounding depression.

2. In order to fit in or stand out.

3. Malingering- According to American Psychological Association (APA), “malingering is the deliberate feigning of an illness or disability to achieve a particular desired outcome. For example, it may take the form of faking mental illness as a defense in a trial, faking physical illness to win compensation, or faking an injury, or misinforming people of one’s state of rehabilitation to avoid practicing or playing sport. Malingering is distinguished from factitious disorder in that it involves a specific external factor as the motivating force.”

4. Münchausen syndrome-According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “a severe and chronic form of factitious disorder characterized by repeated and elaborate fabrication of clinically convincing physical symptoms and a false medical and social history (see pseudologia fantastica). Other features are peregrination and recurrent hospitalization, and there may be multiple scars from previous (unnecessary) investigative surgery. The patient’s motivation is a psychological need to assume the sick role.”

5. It may be a symptom of an underlying disorder.

grayscale photo of woman covering her face by her hand — Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Pexels.com

It’s critical to understand that concealing depression is a common phenomenon.

People who suffer from depression do not appear depressed at all times of the day. In fact, people with high-functioning depression may only show external signs of depression on rare occasions.

As a result, you shouldn’t presume that someone isn’t depressed just because they don’t ‘seem to be depressed’.

Note: If you’re unsure whether you’re struggling with depression, it’s best to seek professional help for a proper diagnosis

So how can we tell if someone is faking depression?

Disclaimer: This article is meant for educational purposes only. Do not use information in this or any other article to self-diagnose or diagnose other people. If you feel that you or someone close to you may possess some of the characteristics mentioned in this or any other article on our blog and need help then please consult a licensed mental health professional. This article is not a substitute for professional advice, but general guidance.

The “depression” is short-term.

To be diagnosed with major depression, one must experience at least five of the symptoms of depression for a minimum of 2 weeks and must experience either Sadness or depressed mood most of the day or almost every day OR loss of enjoyment in things that were once pleasurable nearly daily for at least 2 weeks. Depression that lasts only for 7-10 days may be a sign that someone is faking depression.

2. Creating drama all the time.
A person who has been diagnosed with depression is often quiet and prefers to keep to themselves. They may not go around stirring drama as they may already be experiencing an overwhelming amount of emotions such as guilt, sadness, worthlessness, etc, and do not want to add to their plate and burden themselves further.

diverse women quarreling in room — Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels.com

3. Using depression as an excuse to constantly get their way.
Someone who is faking depression may use their depression as an excuse to avoid things or to get their way. For instance, they may use it as an excuse for missing classes or not submitting their assignments on time. They may use their depression as an excuse to get someone to help them in finishing their assignments.

4. They are only depressed about certain things.
One of the major symptoms of depression is a loss of enjoyment in things that were once pleasurable. The pleasurable things may include spending time with family and friends, going out to eat, reading, dancing, etc. If a person is faking depression, they may only feel depressed about certain things they enjoyed in the past like reading or going out, they may still enjoy the rest of the things like nothing has changed.

5. They only feel depressed when someone is watching.
If someone is depressed, they will feel so no matter who is watching or where they are. The depression may not fade away completely when no one is watching. If someone is feeling depressed only when people are watching them, then it may be a sign that someone is faking depression to potentially seek attention from the surrounding people.