Most replayed moment: Do You Have High-Functioning Depression? | Dr Judith Joseph & Professor Sarah Berry
5/5/202614 min
Today, we’re shining a light on a lesser-known form of depression. When we imagine depression, we often think of someone unable to get out of bed, someone who struggles to complete daily tasks. However, many people with depression are the exact opposite. They meet deadlines, achieve goals and appear successful. Yet, on the inside, they feel disconnected and distant from joy. This quieter, harder-to-spot condition is known as high-functioning depression. I’m joined by psychiatrist Dr. Judith Joseph and Professor Sarah Berry to unpack what high-functioning depression looks like, why it’s so frequently missed, and how we should approach it. Sarah starts by asking for clarity on a word that is closely connected to this condition. 🌱 Try our science-backed and tasty wholefood supplement Daily 30+ Get our brand-new app and Gut Health Test designed by world-leading gut health and nutrition scientists to build healthy eating habits 👉 Join ZOE Follow ZOE on Instagram. 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Ferment by Prof. Tim Spector Free resources from ZOE Eating for Better Brain Health: Your brain-gut blueprint How to eat in 2026 - Discover ZOE’s 8 nutrition principles for long-term health Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Better Breakfast Guide
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First 90 secondsJonathan Wolf· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to ZOE Recap, where each week we find the best bits from one of our podcast episodes to help you improve your health. When we imagine depression, we often think of someone unable to get out of bed, someone who struggles to complete daily tasks. However, many people with depression are the exact opposite. They meet deadlines, achieve goals, and appear successful. Yet on the inside, they feel disconnected and distant from joy. This quieter, harder to spot condition is called high-functioning depression. I'm joined by psychiatrist Dr Judith Joseph and Sarah Berry to unpack what high-functioning depression looks like, why it's so frequently missed, and how we should approach it. Sarah starts by asking for clarity on a word that is closely connected to this condition.
Sarah Berry· Guest0:49
Anhedonia. I have never heard of that word. [laughs] Could you explain what that means?
Judith Joseph· Guest0:55
So it's actually a word that if you ask any nurse, any healthcare professional, they know what it is. It's such an antiquated, old medical word.
Sarah Berry· Guest1:03
Okay.
Judith Joseph· Guest1:03
But- Had you heard of it, Jonathan?
Jonathan Wolf· Host1:05
No, no. Go on.
Judith Joseph· Guest1:06
[laughs] I wanna know, dude, have you heard of it?
Jonathan Wolf· Host1:08
No.
Judith Joseph· Guest1:08
Most people haven't, and that's okay. It was really coined by a French psychologist, I think he may have been a psychiatrist, in the 1800s, and what he was seeing was this lack of pleasure and interest in things in people who had substance abuse and people who had depression and people who had schizophrenia, and that's where you see a lot of anhedonia. You, you even see it in people with dementia,