Are INFJ's prone to depression?

[phoenixrisen]

I often find myself depressed / sad for no apparent reason and I was wondering if this is a predisposition of my personality or something else. I don't make friends easily and have some difficulty connecting with others, I've always been this way but it can be a lonely way to live sometimes.

Anyway I was hoping some here could enlighten me.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I often find myself depressed / sad for no apparent reason and I was wondering if this is a predisposition of my personality or something else. I don't make friends easily and have some difficulty connecting with others, I've always been this way but it can be a lonely way to live sometimes.

Anyway I was hoping some here could enlighten me.

Not INFJ, but close enough.
I got some depression while in Canada during the Winter. (Possibly SAD)... But it was a kind of brooding because I couldn't employ my extroverted thinking.

Perhaps you need some activity which actualises your extroverted feeling. You might benefit from some sort of activity which lets you engage with people in a way which helps their social relationships: volunteering for homeless services and talking with isolated people?

I also get the impression that INFJs find sensory activities tied to introverted thinking relaxing: some sort of visual, musical, or poetic expression, which captures your world-vision. (You already do that, I guess).

 

[Flavus Aquila]

The functions for the types.

 

[j654dgj7]

The functions for the types.

People should really look at this.

 

[Rcs6r]

I've noticed that people test INFJ when depressed, though the opposite could be true as INFJs are idealist types and subject to becoming very cynical.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I've noticed that people test INFJ when depressed, though the opposite could be true as INFJs are idealist types and subject to becoming very cynical.

I tested as INFJ the first time around because I was trying to give the "correct answers", instead of my actual preferences. Human resources kowtow.

 

[invisible]

I was hospitalised for depression a few times in my early 20s and most of my life has been about living with depression. I think that the way it's related to the type of person I am are complex and many but I'm not sure how much of that is shared with other "INFJ" type people. Obviously not all of us have problems adjusting to life at this level.

I think that as INFJs it's important for us to have some stable sense of meaning about how we contribute to the world or human endeavour, our "mission" or "vocation" or "destiny", that we accept even with all its flaws and shortcomings. This has been the single most helpful thing for me in living with depression. I don't think it's very good for INFJ type people to float aimlessly through the world.

I don't make friends easily but I have a few high quality friendships that have sustained me over the years. This community has always been supportive too.

 

[Littlelissa]

I've noticed that people test INFJ when depressed, though the opposite could be true as INFJs are idealist types and subject to becoming very cynical.

My take on it is that INFJ's can get depressed because they are idealists, and there is often a miss-match between the 'ideal' and any given reality. Inherent idealism has to co-exist with their judging sense and what is immediately possible. They are future orientated but also caught up with the practical and everyday through their judging sense. This can cause frustrations and disappointments that can lead to feelings of depression.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

My take on it is that INFJ's can get depressed because they are idealists, and there is often a miss-match between the 'ideal' and any given reality. Inherent idealism has to co-exist with their judging sense and what is immediately possible. They are future orientated but also caught up with the practical and everyday through their judging sense. This can cause frustrations and disappointments that can lead to feelings of depression.

I think it's also because your major extroverted project (Fe) is to do with people who have their own ideas and proclivities towards disharmony... You can create concord, but it falls apart easily.

If my Te projects fell apart all the time, I'd go into depression. (Like having an organisation throw out the command structure I helped implement... and for the place to fall into anarchy. *Shiver*).

 

[Rcs6r]

I often find myself depressed / sad for no apparent reason

That sounds a lot like clinical depression. Have you considered talking to a doctor?

 

[Sandie33]

I often find myself depressed / sad for no apparent reason and I was wondering if this is a predisposition of my personality or something else. I don't make friends easily and have some difficulty connecting with others, I've always been this way but it can be a lonely way to live sometimes.

Anyway I was hoping some here could enlighten me.

or something else

As an INFJ I get depressed yet don't stay there long. Have you tried evaluating why you think you are depressed? As Horatio said, talking with a doctor may prove helpful. Wish you well.

 

[phoenixrisen]

Hey everyone thanks for all of the great insights!
Yes I do get depressed and there certainly are triggers. I recently started a new job which has been pretty stressful, I haven't been able to get into my creative "zone" due to too many other things demanding my attention.
As for doctors, I'm not into that I just need to find my space. This how I've always been so nothing new here. I was just wondering if anyone else experiences these things.
It would be nice to meet another INFJ in the flesh and have some things in common but I have never met one that I know of.

 

[Catcool72]

Some times being so empathetic I get weary carrying what feels like the weight of the world. Also, it is hard to fit in or find any genuine and pure connections with people that actually understand and apply what I'm trying to get across to them. No matter how much through their eyes I try to speak to their situation as well. I wouldn't say I'm depressed; yet, I can retreat and become a loner for weeks without reaching out to people. I try to refocus and examine myself before I attempt new relationships again. I guess I just find more peace and contentment within myself that doesn't really reflect societies need to always be on the go or use people for arrogant or personal gains.

You know how forums or psychological websites will be like the person with the problem will be the last to know... I feel like INFJ's are so mindful of their flaws and emotions (and everyone else's) that you can't really confine them to statistics. Yet we're also selfless enough to not say that we "know" something or view our ideas/ideals as law for everyone. Even if it is how we perceive things.

I've deleted and added and changed streams of thought so many times typing this that I hope it makes sense lol

 

[INFJ16]

I often find myself depressed / sad for no apparent reason and I was wondering if this is a predisposition of my personality or something else. I don't make friends easily and have some difficulty connecting with others, I've always been this way but it can be a lonely way to live sometimes.

Anyway I was hoping some here could enlighten me.

I don't know that depression is a predisposition for INFJs or not, but knowing the answer to that probably won't help you feel better anyway. : )

I've only experienced true depression once, and that was connected to a specific event.
However, I do think I am a rather moody person. I don't think anyone has ever called me that, but I isolate and keep quiet when feeling negative so as not to spread the bad vibes. I sometimes find myself feeling sad without really knowing why. I think the reason for this is that INFJs are notoriously good with other people's emotions but bad with their own (mind you, this varies between individuals). It can be hard for me to identify where a particular emotion is coming from. In other words, I sometimes find it difficult to connect how I am feeling to an event. Often my emotions are stemming from a lot of different events all at once which makes them hard to discern or manage. (Plus I'm a chick so I gotta watch out for those girl hormones.)
Part of this could also be that INFJs can soak up other people's emotional energy. You may not be sad because of something that happened to you but because you came into contact with someone who was sad. I used to think this idea was made up voodoo, but I've experienced it.

You mentioned loneliness and a difficulty connecting with others. This is something negative that you struggle with so yes, you are going to feel sad sometimes. Some days these feelings will bother you more than others. Forums like this can help you get connected with like minded people so utilize your tools to reach out.

Bottom line: I feel ya!

 

[Scientia]

Like @INFJ16, I have only had depression related to a specific situation. It happens when I feel trapped and can't change my situation. Otherwise, I am positively buoyant, optimistic and even-keeled.

I do think it might help if you can figure out why you are depressed. If there truly doesn't seem to be an emotional or situational reason, it might be organic. Perhaps it could be SAD, or something similar. I hope you feel better, @phoenixrisen. Feeling down is no way to go through life if you can change it.

 

[invisible]

Why do people always suggest doctors when it comes to people asking for emotional perspectives? I realise that it is well intentioned but it is also not very thoughtful at all. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be unkind. But don't you think that other people are just as aware as you are of the existence of doctors and what they are there for?

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Why do people always suggest doctors when it comes to people asking for emotional perspectives? I realise that it is well intentioned but it is also not very thoughtful at all. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be unkind. But don't you think that other people are just as aware as you are of the existence of doctors and what they are there for?

It's encouragement in case there was some hesitation to consider medical assistance as an option.

 

[Elis]

I think a problem with the INFJ type and depression, or maybe the NF sentiment as a whole, is that it can be very self defeating. It's far too easy to fall into a role that hones to the more introverted self sacrificing ideals, instead of taking care of yourself and working things through.

I don't mean to say this out of disrespect, but out of concern. If you are depressed, don't read into your type and just accept that being introverted and having a hard time connecting is just part of who you are. It's important to have people to talk to, and to get out of these thought patterns we've gotten ourselves into.

This is not to say that it's wrong to be a particular type, just that it's easy to read into things and put ourselves in these boxes. It's something to be wary of, and something we need to be able to talk about

 

[j75ejcyj7]

I often find myself depressed / sad for no apparent reason and I was wondering if this is a predisposition of my personality or something else. I don't make friends easily and have some difficulty connecting with others, I've always been this way but it can be a lonely way to live sometimes.

Anyway I was hoping some here could enlighten me.

I find that I have two extremes and cycle through them.

At first, I like to be incredibly optimistic, I am on cloud 9 - I can do anything. This, of course, is false optimism. The moment something negative happens, I start slipping in a depression.

This usually happens because I start to dwell on any and every thing I've ever done wrong. When this starts happen, I am usually have lost control and start causing fights with people in order to feel a different emotional state.

I've read our body gets overwhelmed if we are in a constant state of "negative thinking", so depression is a way for it to take a break from this overload.

Everyone is critical to some degree, and they should be. That's the only way we improve society. However, we tend to direct our criticism to things that don't matter. If I put half as much energy into criticizing/improving my work as I do into criticizing things out of my control, I would be much happier.

 

[phoenixrisen]

Thank you all for your replies!
Depression is something I deal with occasionally but it's not debilitating just an undercurrent I live with.
I don't really have any true friends to "dump on" so I just deal with things internally. Is this an INFJ thing? Probably not, just a product of my life experience , anyway no worries, life is good!