Existential Depression 2024: Definition, Causes, Symptoms & Coping

Existential depression can take over when you feel a lack of meaning in life and existence^[1], as a whole, for a prolonged period of time. It often leads to a persistent depressive mood and a sense of hopelessness. Ruminating over unanswerable philosophical questions of an existential nature is one of the identifying factors of existential depression.

Many experience it when with severe disease or “close calls” in which they sense their mortality, after which it is called existential suffering^[2]. 

People suffering from existential depression tend to lose motivation to continue on with their daily life. They usually find it difficult to maintain work commitments, and they may avoid relationships and connections with others. 

While an existential crisis may hit most people at some point in their lives, this type of depression does not easily pass. A mental health professional can often guide those struggling to find meaning again.  

Those who experience existential depression usually feel persistent depressive symptoms and ruminate over questions related to death, injustice, purpose, and the meaning of life. They may feel as though nothing is fixable and that, therefore, there is no point in continuing to try.  

People who suffer from existential issues may also experience disintegration of the self^[4] where they lose connection with their identity. They may ask questions that can create a sort of learned helplessness, such as

• Is this all there is?
• Why isn’t anything fair?
• Is there no ultimate meaning to life?
• Am I completely insignificant and all alone in this world?

As people become more aware of the complexities of life, self-doubt and existential dread can take over. People may become more focused on how things should be rather than how they are, leading to existential anxiety and depression. 

The Benefits Of Existential Depression

Fortunately, experiencing a disintegration of self can lead to an improved reintegration. People can develop a better sense of self-awareness and direction that allows them to work towards a life of their choosing. With any crisis, some people “go to work,” while others allow the crisis to go to work on them.

Most people who achieve reintegration develop stronger humanistic and altruistic values, along with more personal contentment. These individuals are also more likely to strive for continual improvement throughout the rest of their lives. Even when experiencing episodes of disintegration again, they allow their awareness to push them to continue to grow and improve their lives. 

Causes Of Existential Depression

A person’s life events, upbringing, and genetics can all cause a higher risk of developing existential depression. Also, sensing one’s own mortality, as with a life-threatening disease, can trigger it sooner.

Traumatic Event

After experiencing a traumatic event, many people begin to question their life and the injustices of the world. These include events such as

• Loss of a loved one
• Abuse (physical or emotional)
• Illness
• Natural disaster
• War
• Witnessing a crime
• Loss of/no financial stability
• Perceived failure in life

Trauma may also be chronic, as in when years of hardships have been suffered. A sense of despair may develop over time. Despair is painful, especially when it is fueled by hopelessness.

Lack Of Emotional Expression

Expressing yourself and acknowledging painful emotions can lead to personal growth. The lows sometimes force you to abandon your shrinking comfort zone to try new things that push your life forward. If, however, you were not raised in a family that allowed for your full emotional expression, you may have developed an inability to express your feelings. 

This can lead to internalizing negative thoughts and emotions without a healthy release. Ruminating may begin to take over, and signs of an existential crisis may begin to appear. Some examples of having difficulty expressing emotions could be

• Temper tantrums (bottling up feelings, then exploding)
• High levels of guilt and shame
• Feeling a loss of self-control
• Inability to describe exactly how you’re feeling
• Few social connections or meaningful relationships
• Covering up or showing very little vulnerability
• Difficulty having an open conversation about emotions
• Unable to validate other people’s emotions
• Expressing beliefs as emotions

Gifted Individuals

While it’s not exclusive to gifted people, it is common^[5] to find existential depression in gifted individuals. This could be those with a high IQ or who are very talented or highly sensitive. Gifted children^[6] in particular may experience existential depression and anxiety as they sometimes feel or ponder more deeply on existential questions. 

A gifted child might wonder why certain rules are in place or why people don’t seem to care about the treatment of innocent animals or the planet. They may be particularly observant and question why people behave inconsistently, such as parents saying one thing but doing another. 

Gifted adults often continue to observe and reflect upon life’s existential questions. If no answers are found, depressive symptoms may develop.   

Signs And Symptoms

If you’re not sure whether or not you’re having existential crises or existential depression symptoms, these are some of the signs to watch out for: 

Physical Symptoms 

• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Digestive issues
• Muscle or joint pain
• Poor sleep
• Sexual problems, loss of libido

Emotional Symptoms

• Anxiety
• Despair
• More abstract or philosophical thinking than usual
• Loss of identity or sense of true self (“inauthenticity”)
• Little motivation or joy 
• No sense of meaning or purpose
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

Subtle Signs Of Existential Depression

• Guilt or fixation on past mistakes and life choices
• Feeling stuck in a rut, unsure how to move forward
• No exciting or meaningful life goals to work towards
• Detaching from relationships or avoiding new connections
• Constantly asking yourself unanswerable questions

Existential depression and anxiety often go hand in hand. People regularly ignore the subtle emotional and behavioral characteristics associated with symptoms of existential depression. Some might believe it is simply an existential crisis and nothing can be done. This also leads to fewer people seeking professional help. 

If you feel hopeless or are unsure about the gravity of your situation, consulting a therapist can help you gain clarity. 

How To Overcome

There are a variety of ways to improve the mental health of those experiencing existential depression. 

Acknowledge Your Feelings

Sometimes, it’s easier to deny emotions since acknowledging them can be overwhelming. Admitting you’re depressed and it’s not temporary can mean it’s time to make difficult changes.

Accepting the situation is the first step toward creating space to make a change. Without this, symptoms of existential depression can continue and worsen. 

Express Your Emotions

Reintegrating and improving your sense of self takes work in identifying and expressing your innermost emotions.

Most children were not raised in families that allowed for their full emotional expression. Many parents survived emotional traumas of their own and unknowingly passed them on to their children through overly strict or emotionally unavailable parenting.

Fortunately, as adults, we have the opportunity to parent ourselves and learn emotional expression. This can be done through

• Journaling
• Breathwork
• Meditation
• Movement (creative dance, enjoyable exercise, etc.)
• Talking to a friend or professional 
• Emotional expression workbooks

Try Therapy

Humans are social and community-based beings. Even though society often attempts to make us think we should be able to do and fix everything on our own, it’s simply not possible nor practical. Due to social stigma, it’s hard to admit when you need help.

However, meeting a mental health professional with different tools and perspectives to help you improve your life can help to ease depression. Existential therapy^[7] or cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)^[8] can be especially effective for those struggling.

Learn To Control Your Thoughts

Controlling your thoughts is much easier said than done. With time and effort, you can learn to choose certain thoughts or react in new ways to stressful situations. Developing self-control^[5] can help you interrupt those long-standing undesired thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. This increases resilience, goal adaptation, motivation, and work performance. 

For example, it’s common to turn to food for comfort when stressed. However, you can begin setting habits in place to start walking whenever triggered instead.

Walking^[9] helps your brain become more analytical and process emotions better; any exercise will improve your mind-body connection^[10], benefitting both. Try habit stacking^[11] to begin changing and unlinking old unhealthy patterns, focusing on one habit at a time. 

Practice Mindfulness

Finding joy in the present moment is one of life’s biggest pleasures. Of course, not every moment is an enjoyable experience. Learning to be OK with that and becoming the observer of your thoughts, rather than reactive, is a life-long process.

With meditation and constant learning, it is possible. Mindful living^[12] offers a considerable release from anxiety and depression and helps people reappraise their lives. From a place of mindfulness, taking steps toward change becomes possible. 

Try New Hobbies

Allowing yourself to further express yourself by experimenting with new activities can create a domino effect to push you forward. Trying something you’ve always wanted to do often creates a sense of fulfillment and newfound excitement that can spill to other areas of your life. Some ideas to consider: 

• Creative art classes (painting, pottery, drawing, creative writing, etc.)
• Exercise classes (kickboxing, CrossFit, aerial yoga, etc.)
• Nature activities (hiking, nature photography, camping, gardening, etc.)
• Cooking or baking
• Learning or perfecting a new language
• Volunteering (which lifts moods^[13], self-esteem, and builds community)

Join A Community

We evolved as social creatures. Joining groups creates the chance to make new and meaningful connections. Building strong connections^[14] with others offers one of the biggest benefits to reducing depression. Poor quality of our social relationships is a major risk factor for depression.

Making the effort to meet old (and uplifting) friends while making new ones greatly impacts our chances of developing and healing from depression. 

Embrace Not Knowing

Mostly everyone questions their existence and the point of life at one point or another, but joy can be found whether you find the answers or not. Peace is not guaranteed to come from knowing everything, but it is more likely to come from accepting the situation at hand. 

Use This As A Push To Grow

Going through periods of crisis can provide a new sense of meaning and purpose to life. Instead of viewing the crisis as permanent, use it to develop resilience^[5] and push yourself forward.

Let it help you find what it is you need to create a fulfilling life. Turn to friends, wellness professionals, and a community to help provide the motivation and guidance to make the changes needed. 

Final Thought

It’s normal to experience an existential crisis at some point in life. However, ruminating on life’s biggest unanswerable questions for too long can lead to depression. Luckily, it is possible to overcome existential depression. 

Therapy, building strong social connections, and practicing whatever is needed for your personal development can lead to using the crisis as a push to move forward in life. Growing from hardships allows people to become more empathetic, increase self-esteem, and create more meaningful life goals. 

---