In this brief guide, we will discuss the personality type ESTP and Depression.
ESTP and Depression
ESTP in depression may often find that they are not able to focus on their tasks and may have to try extra hard, which may feel unnatural to them given how competent they usually are, and this feeling that they are not doing things well enough may drag them down even further.
An ESTP in depression may try to get busy, try to do things to take their minds off the negativity because they might initially not recognize the signs and symptoms of depression, but they may eventually find that they are not able to focus on their daily tasks as well as they used to.
The ESTP is typically very involved in going out and meeting people, or figuring out new challenges and finding new problems to solve, but when the ESTP is depressed, no matter how much they want to go out every night after work, to spend time with new people and new experiences, they might feel like internally they are just not able to get out of the bad rhythm.
On the opposite end, some ESTPs may be more prone to agitated depression, which is discussed later in the article, and they may find that even though they feel low and sad inside, and have some symptoms of depression, they are also not able to stay still when they are feeling depressed, and find that they have to constantly keep on their toes because they may be scared that they will fall if they don’t, and this fear keeps them far more alert than they need to be.
Due to the juxtaposition of extroverted sensing and deliberate, introverted thinking, these individuals may be more prone to bipolar disorder than depression, and they may experience a cyclic illness often.
The depressed ESTPs tendency to keep themselves distracted may sometimes backfire as well, because in the background they are still not totally happy and their introverted thinking is still cursing all sorts of negative thoughts which give rise to their negative emotions, and eventually the disorder may catch up with them.
This is not something that the ESTP can really keep up with, so eventually, they will fall. When they find themselves alone without anything to do, the ESTP will probably feel the depressing weighing on them heavily.
The ESTP may show a rather relentless tendency to avoid facing the fact that they are depressed, maybe even behaving somewhat like a child who thinks if they close their eyes the monster goes away.
Strengths and Weaknesses of ESTP personality
Before getting into what depression may look like in the ESTP and what they might do about it and so on, one needs to know what features, strengths, and weaknesses of the ESTP personality look like in the context of depression.
ESTP stands for Extraverted, sensing, thinking, and perceiving, and these individuals are also known as entrepreneurs because of their outgoing nature and ability to make their goals come true.
Strengths
A key strength of the ESTP personality is that they are incredibly bold and energetic people.
The typical ESTP may often love the practice of pushing boundaries and discovering new ideas and challenges and facing them head-on once they have decided what they want to do, which can be a good quality when they finally decide to face their depression.
Due to their amazing ability to analyze and think things through well in their head, the ESTP personality is very Rational and Practical, and due to their love or seeking new things and challenges, they also love the quest of knowledge and philosophy for its own sake.
Finding new ideas that they can then act on and being focused on every little detail so they can put them to use is something the ESTP loves to do, and when and if they decide to go into therapy for depression, they can truly benefit from this kind of attitude and they may be easy to reach by a number of different therapeutic approaches.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
The ESTP personality type is also very innovative and imaginative with new ideas and solutions. And they may think about putting things together in ways no one else would think to.
The ESTP type is also very perceptive, due to their imaginative and innovative nature, they are able to look at things from various angles, which may come in very helpful when they are required to introspect of look within themselves so they may figure out where their problems lie.
Due to their ability to be perceptive, they are also creating great new connections with people and they are able to use this skill and their support system when they need it most.
The ESTP is also a great communicator, and this is an amazing skill to have when one is in therapy because they will be able to express themselves more clearly than people who may not have this skill. They are likely to answer even pointed personal questions clearly, with direct and factual questions and answers.
Weaknesses
With all the strengths they have that may help the ESTP with depression and therapy and generally coping with the condition, they also have weaknesses or character flaws that may trigger or maintain the depressive condition.
For instance, the ESTP can be rather insensitive, and this may show up as annoyance or snapping at others when they are depressed, and they may often make hurtful and cutting remarks because they don’t feel great inside.
Feelings and emotions are not a priority for the ESTP, and as such, they may not recognize the depression for what it is, behaving instead in an irritable and annoyed fashion with everyone around, and making everyone miserable without realizing it.
Because they may burn bridges with this habit, the ESTP may also have a lesser support system when they are coping with depression, and this isolation can just further fuel the fire because they are incredibly extroverted people, and being abandoned may fill them with sadness.
They may also feel like the people they love should have stayed with them because they should have understood that they are not feeling well, but they may not realize that they have not communicated their feelings to the person at al.
The ESTP may also become rather impatient with people even in general, and this tendency may also be amplified in the depressed ESTP, making them very difficult bosses or authority figures to be around, because they may snap and roar at even the slightest touch of delay or indecision of any kind.
The ESTP can also be somewhat risk-prone due to their extroverted sensing function, and this may lead to some impulsive, dangerous behavior like substance abuse or gambling, and this may actually also be seen more in ESTPs with masked depression.
Agitated Depression and ESTP
Agitated depression has been defined as “Agitated depression used to be called “melancholia agitata.” It’s now known as “mixed mania” or “mixed features.” And it can be seen in people with bipolar disorder. But, psychomotor agitation can also be seen in major depressive disorder. This condition makes a person appear restless.”
Agitated depression is included only as a footnote in the ICD 10, under the classification for a Major Depressive Episode, it can be explored much more in psychiatric research papers and psychological journals should one wish to.
Agitated depression may often look like other disorders, like mixed anxiety and depressive disorder or even psychosis, sometimes, because one may find the person roaming around the house or workplace somewhat aimlessly.
One may also find that the person has little patience, and they may snap and get irritated rather often, and they may show a tendency to keep moving all the time.
While they are being agitated, however, the expression on the person’s face, called Affect, will not be one that you may see in mania or other mental disorders, there will be no worry like in the restless effect of anxiety, and no paranoia or suspicious glances like in psychosis, and they won’t look happy or ecstatic, as they might in mania.
The effect of the patient suffering from agitated depression will be more like someone with depression, they may seem very sad and even look like they might cry, but their movements and restlessness may be confusing and one might think that they are just annoyed or not feeling great for some reason.
Some classic symptoms of Agitated depression include, according to Healthline, any 5 of the symptoms of classic depression, and some of the features from the second group of symptoms, which is for agitation.
These are given below:
Depression Symptoms:
- “Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or irritability nearly every day
- a lack of interest or pleasure in activities almost every day
- significant weight loss, or a change of appetite that results in weight loss or gain of 5% of body weight within a month
- sleeping too much or too little
- psychomotor agitation
- restlessness, or feelings of having “slowed down”
- fatigue, or a lack of energy, nearly every day
- feelings of worthlessness or excessive and unexplained guilt almost every day
- difficulty thinking clearly, concentrating, or making routine decisions
- thoughts of death, self-harm, or taking ones life”
Symptoms of Agitation
- “angry outbursts
- disruptive or impulsive behavior
- excessive talking or movement
- difficulty sitting still
- problems with focusing or having a conversation
- pacing or shuffling the feet
- tension, anxiety, and irritability
- wringing the hands or clenching the fists”
The ESTP may often show symptoms similar to the agitation described above, as they have the tendency to externalize their problems rather than internalize them and because this is so misunderstood as a type of depression, agitated depression may go completely unnoticed in the ESTP.
In addition, the agitation and depression may also manifest in a masked way, and the symptoms may also include risk-taking behavior in that case.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we discussed the personality type ESTP and Depression. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments you have.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): ESTP Depression
Are ESTPs emotional?
ESTPs are not as emotional as some of the other personality types, like the ESFP, but they may have emotional moments of their own depending on the context.
The ESTPs do have the capacity to experience emotions on a deep and personal level, but more often than not you may find the ESTP burying emotions inside and refusing to acknowledge or share them.
Are ESTPs mean?
ESTPs are not mean on purpose, but due to the inferior nature of their feeling function, they may sometimes be somewhat insensitive to others without realizing it.
ESTPs are always very gregarious with people, but their interest in people may not last long, and they are more likely to want to meet more and more new people rather than be invested in forming close personal connections, which may seem mean to others sometimes.
What are ESTPs attracted to?
ESTPs are attracted to people who show confidence and a little mystery.
ESTPs may also feel an undeniable attraction for mysterious people who communicate in a charming way.
Citations
https://www.16personalities.com/estp-strengths-and-weaknesses
https://www.dbsalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/agitation.pdf
medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320370#symptoms