Depression can look like happiness 

Red carpets and flashing cameras. Pageant queens and big crowns.  From the outside, it looked like 30-year-old Cheslie Kryst had it all. But underneath it all, behind the scenes, she was internally struggling.

Kryst was an accomplished lawyer and attorney fighting for criminal justice reform. She was a news and entertainment correspondent for Extra TV. She was crowned Miss USA in 2019, trailblazing the way for other women of color in the pageant scene. From beauty pageants and court rooms to newsroom and celebrity interviews, Kryst exemplified how one’s life path can go into a variety of different directions.

Image of Cheslie Kryst – 2019 Miss USA 

Being a person of color going into the field of journalism and reporting, Kryst’s wide range of accomplishments have truly inspired me to reach for the stars. However, what I loved most about Kryst, was her big smile and bubbly on camera personality. Every time I would watch Kryst on a red carpet or on Tik Tok, she always had such a big and bright smile on her face. She truly radiated positivity, kindness, and light.

Behind the big smile, the glitz and glam of the red carpet, and her commitment to fighting for others in the court room, Kryst was fighting her own battle with high functioning depression.

According to mantracare.org, “High functioning depression presents less severe symptoms than major depression. People who live with high functioning depression may appear to be relatively happy and well-adjusted on the surface, but underneath they are struggling with low moods and feelings of emptiness and hopelessness.”

In January, Kryst jumped to her death from her 60-story apartment building in Manhattan, New York (The Orion Building). No one knew Kryst was living with high-functioning depression, except her mother who only learned about the diagnosis a few months before Kryst’s death. Kryst’s friends, family members, and co-workers all revealed that they witnessed no “warning signs” that she could have been struggling.

Kryst’s experience shows how there are ultimately many different ways to experience depression, and that people who experience depression may not exhibit traditional outward indicators and signifiers of depression.

According to Dr. Mimi Winsberg, a psychiatrist and chief medical correspondent at Brightside, “More often than not, severe depression correlates with a lower level of functioning, but some people experience severe depression, even suicidal ideations, but continue to be high functioning in their everyday lives.”

Ever since Kryst’s death, I’ve been thinking to myself, what can we do to start openly talking about mental health, and keep it on the agenda, to help people maybe considering suicide to feel less alone and seen?

According to the National Health Service, “1 in 4 adults experience mental illness in a given year,” including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD.

After conducting research, I found that there are many organizations currently working to raise awareness to mental health, specifically amongst young people. Organizations such as Bring Change 2 Mind, The Trevor Project, and Teen Line all provide mental health resources and support services for young people. I would like to share a little bit about some of these organizations with you that you can reach out to if you ever need support.

      Teen Line: An organization working to make it easier and more comfortable for young people to start talking about mental health by providing teens with support from someone within their own age group. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death amongst 10-to-24-year-olds. Teen Line endeavors to provide young people with the resources and support that they need to thrive, and to overall destigmatize conversations around mental health.

Teen Line provides young people with peer to peer, mental health support through an anonymous 24/7 hotline of trained teen counselors, with the assistance of certified health professionals. Reasons for reaching out include loneliness, abuse, suicide, family, relationships, and many more.

Call 800-852-8336 or text “TEEN” to 839863 to receive support at any time from Teen Line

The Trevor Project: an organization that provides mental health support to specifically LGBTQ+ youth.  According to a 2018 study from the American Medical Association, “LGBTQ+ youth are 3.5 times more as likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers. ” The Trevor Project is the world’s largest crisis intervention and suicide prevention organization specifically designed as safe space for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth. Similarly, to Teen Line, the organization provides 24/7 support trained from counselors. The organization is overall working to raise awareness to LGBTQ+ issues and topics, and promotes LGTBQ+ representation, visibility, and understanding.

Text “Start” to 678-678 or call 1-866-488-7386 to receive support from the Trevor Project

Bring Change 2 Mind: 

An organization working to destigmatize and raise awareness to mental health. The organization was co-founded by actress Glenn Close; she started the organization after her sister was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and her nephew with Schizophrenia. The organization is working to create dialogue and conversation. The website includes firsthand accounts and blog posts from people living with mental illnesses. The organization provides support to those living with a mental illness and works to educate those who know someone with a mental illness. The website offers information and insight on different mental health disorders and the different symptoms of each.

You can use the #nonormal hashtag on social media to share your mental health journey and to join the Bring Change 2 Mind movement

I hope that these resources can help you if you’re ever struggling or are looking to learn more about mental health. Never hesitate to reach out, you’re never alone!