Recovering From Cynical Depression
- Steven Stosny, Ph.D.
- Jul 11
- 2 min read
Cynical depression is a dark veneer, and more common than we think.
Cynical depression is hard to detect as it takes on masks of adrenaline or sedation.
Cynical depression breeds paranoia.
Sufferers of common depression blame themselves to some extent.
The cynically depressed blame everyone else, especially those who are successful in love and life.
Cynical depression is one form of refractory depression, which is a multi-faceted emotional disorder notoriously resistant to treatment. The dictionary definition of “cynical” reveals why it persists and is so hard to treat.
“Believing that people are motivated by self-interest, distrustful of human sincerity or integrity. Concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards to achieve them.” – Oxford Languages
Not all persistent depression is cynical. The distinguishing factors are the ways that sufferers mask their depression, typically with adrenaline and sedation. They don’t look or feel depressed in the classic sense. They are not lethargic or weepy. Adrenaline mitigates against a depressed mood, and sedation numbs it. They're suspicious of others, which can make them appear a little dangerous.
Adrenaline masks include risky behavior, chronic resentment, anger, jealousy, envy, dogmatic zealotry, and abuse of others. Adrenaline provides a surge of temporary energy and confidence that changes facial expressions and body language so that they don’t look depressed.
Adrenaline works like amphetamine. After the surge of energy and confidence, you crash, requiring more adrenaline to climb out of the emotional hole.
Sedating masks look like entitlement, self-righteousness, or abuse of substances, which temporarily numb the pain of depression.
Regardless of the mask it takes, cynical depression breeds paranoia. It’s a short step from regarding people as lacking sincerity or integrity to attributing malevolent and persecutorial intentions to them.
A telling distinction between cynical and ordinary depression is the object of their tendency to blame. Those who suffer from recognizable depression tend to blame themselves. The cynically depressed blame almost everyone else, especially people who are successful in love, sex, or industry.
Active shooters are cynically depressed by all reports, at least those who are not delusional.
The Endorphin Remedy
If you or a loved one suffers from adrenaline or sedating masks, address the underlying depression.
Depression has many causes, some of them physiological. Get a physical to rule out physiological causes.
Walk 30 minutes a day!
10 minutes a day in sunlight!
An hour a week in nature!
Focus on how bad you feel just long enough to validate the feeling so you can effectively change it.
Never justify that you feel bad, focus instead on what you can do to become the person, partner, and parent you most want to be.
The brain is unlikely to give up masks of adrenaline and sedation, without practice of behaviors that increase endorphins. Exercise and brief prosocial behaviors—motivated by compassion, kindness, or affection—should become routine.
Acting on our humane values makes us feel more humane and a lot less depressed.
