- Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst hid her high-functioning depression from "everyone" until right before her death, her mother said.
- People with high-functioning depression may resist acknowledging vulnerability and seeking help.
- High-functioning depression is not an official medical diagnosis.
Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst's mother, April Simpkins, said she has "never known a pain as deep as this" in a new statement about her daughter's death on Wednesday.
Kryst, who was 30 years old, died by suicide on Sunday. A New York City Police Department representative told Insider that Kryst had jumped from the 60-story building in Manhattan where she lived.
"I am forever changed," Simpkins wrote in the statement shared with Insider. "Today, what our family and friends privately knew was the cause of death of my sweet baby girl, Cheslie, was officially confirmed. While it may be hard to believe, it's true. Cheslie led both a public and a private life."
Simpkins said Kryst had high-functioning depression, and that she hid it from "everyone — including me, her closest confidant — until very shortly before her death."
The term, which is not an official medical diagnosis, describes depression among people who maintain, or even appear to thrive in, happy-looking, productive lives, experts told Insider.
"Although successful and oftentimes leaders in their fields, these individuals are [conducting their lives] much like running a race with a weight belt carrying 100 extra pounds," John Huber, a psychologist at Mainstream Mental Health, told Healthline.
Kryst was an attorney, reporter, and Miss USA titleholder
Kryst won the Miss USA title in 2019 while representing North Carolina, and made the top 10 at Miss Universe that same year. She was also a complex-litigation attorney and worked as a host for Extra TV.
Simpkins wrote that while Kryst's "life on this earth was short, it was filled with many beautiful memories."
"We miss her laugh, her words of wisdom, her sense of humor, and mostly her hugs," she said. "We miss all of it, we miss all of her. Cheslie — to the world, you were a ball of sunshine wrapped in smiles."
Simpkins added that she "talked, FaceTimed, or texted" her daughter "all day, every day."
"You were more than a daughter — you were my very best friend," Simpkins said. "Talking with you was one of the best parts of my day. Your smile and laugh were infectious. I love you baby girl with all my heart. I miss you desperately. I know one day we'll be together again. Until then, rest easy and in peace."
Tributes to Kryst poured in after her death, with colleagues, celebrities, and other pageant winners posting to social media.
The Miss Universe Organization wrote in a post that Kryst "was one of the brightest, warmest, and most kind people we have ever had the privilege of knowing, and she lit up every room she entered."
Kryst worked pro bono with clients serving long sentences for low-level drug offenses. She helped free one client who had been sentenced to life in prison. She also spent years raising funds for the nonprofits Dress for Success and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and also used her platform to support Black Lives Matter.
In 2019, Kryst was part of a historic moment when Miss Universe, Miss USA, Miss Teen USA, and Miss America all went to women of color.
Kryst told Insider at the time that being part of such a group was "surreal."
"I just think this is an important moment," she said. "And maybe people can carry this inspiration into other areas of their lives."
Kryst wrote an essay ahead of her 30th birthday last year in which she discussed her struggle with internet trolls and the time she nearly worked herself "to death."
"Each time I say 'I'm turning 30,' I cringe a little," Kryst wrote in the Allure essay published on March 4. "Turning 30 feels like a cold reminder that I'm running out of time to matter in society's eyes — and it's infuriating."
People in tech and entertainment may be vulnerable to high-functioning depression
About 6.7% of Americans 18 and over experience major depressive disorder any given year, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America reports. It's more common in women than men, and the medium age of onset is 32.5.
Dr. Mimi Winsberg, a psychiatrist and chief medical officer of Brightside, told Insider clinicians think of depression on a spectrum from mild to severe, and also consider patients' level of functioning. Can they get out of bed? Go to work? Engage socially?
"More often than not, severity correlates with a lower level of functioning, but some people can experience severe depression, even suicidal ideation, but continue to be high functioning in their outwardly facing lives," she said.
Winsberg lives in San Francisco and has worked as Facebook's on-site psychiatrist. She says that high performers in the tech and entertainment industries may be compelled to hide their internal pain due to the "pressure to keep up public appearances, or an environment that does not culturally sanction depression or where lower levels of functioning are less acceptable."
Getting help can be challenging since it "can involve acknowledging vulnerability and slowing down," Winsberg said.
If you suspect a loved one is struggling — unstable moods, sleep, relationships, and substance abuse can be clues, though not always — encourage them to get care, Winsberg said.
"Good treatments are available, even online and from the comfort of your home," she added.