Does Pewdiepie have depression?

In this blog we will discuss Pewdiepie, depression, and his choice to take a break from youtube.

Does Pewdiepie have depression?

It is not clearly known whether Pewdiepie has been formally diagnosed with depression or not, however, it does appear that he has had some issues when it comes to his mental health due to which he has decided to take a break from youtube. 

Pewdiepie, Felix Kjellberg, one of the biggest independent youtuber has recently opened up about his mental health and taking a break from youtube after a decade and more years of creating for his channel. 

The Swedish Youtuber has recently described what seems like burnout when it comes to his mental health after years of having a tight schedule of daily uploads.  

During a candid Question and answer session with his subscribers he discussed his career and his future along with other topics including a brief discussion about his rise to fame both on youtube and mainstream media. 

During this session he mentioned about the exhaustion that he felt in the last couple of months. He has described something akin to burn out that most creators tend to face when he added:

“I just think I realised that I enjoy making videos , I don’t enjoy making all this spectacle all the time…it doesn’t necessarily affect me that much but it’s a thing where if it keeps going for a long time , it just gets kinda exhausting I would say. “

In this particular segment, Pewdiepie did mention that while he has a good handle on his schedule and his work, there are times when he is affected mentally and emotionally. 

He has also been honest in his opinions about the grind culture and expressed himself to be somewhat less interested to live out the hustle life and rather pace himself to enjoy his work.

This is reminiscent of his time in LA when he was filming his Scare Pewdiepie series for Youtube Red that he had begun to struggle with burnout due to the stress of the gruelling filming schedule. 

Pewdiepie’s insightful comment included:

“I don’t know if I particularly like YouTube more, but I like my life more! I enjoyed uploading every single day because I was enjoying YouTube so much, but then I realised it’s just not a healthy way to live ….you know just playing games on my own and shit like that. “

As of 2022, Fans and viewers of pewdiepie see that there has been a change in his work ethics as pewdiepie has taken a more laid back approach to his upload schedule and this is because Pewdiepie considers himself retired. 

Regarding this, much to his followers surprise, pewdiepie noted:

“I’ve already retired, I decided a couple of months ago …I’m doing YouTube at a slower pace …I’m sorry, that means I’m not uploading as frequently as I am but I just decided , I’m retired!”

Towards the end of this particular video, he has mentioned that one of the major setbacks of being a youtuber is the amount of influence that is pushed on to the creators. 

He has time and again mentioned that he is a creator and not an influencer, part of his stance is because of how much strain the label of an “influencer” has on them which often impacts their ability to enjoy their work as well as their mental health. 

What is depression?

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a leading publication used for diagnosis of mental disorders by mental health professionals, Major depressive disorder or depression is a serious mood disorder.

Depression is marked by the following symptoms:

• Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day- either by their own observation or observation made by others.
• Diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day.
• Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain, or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
• Insomnia or hypersomnia. 
• A slowing down of thought and a reduction of physical movement (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).
• Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt nearly every day.
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day.

Depression symptoms also include extremely low mood and fatigue and is often accompanied by thoughts of worthlessness and hopelessness which can lead to suicidal ideation and even attempts. 

Depression related symptoms such as inability to focus, lack of energy, and hopelessness can impact a person’s ability to work and meet the demands of their daily lives. 

People with depression often struggle with low self esteem and self worth which can cause them to negatively assess themselves. They may fear rejection and abandonment from other people which may cause them to isolate themselves in a bid to protect themselves.

This social withdrawal can make it difficult for them to maintain social commitments and relationships as they might choose to push people away especially when they do not have the skills to communicate and manage their emotions and thoughts. 

While these are some of the ways depression impacts a person, the disorder itself can cause the quality of life of people who have it to drastically decrease and in extreme cases, if the disorder is left untreated, it can lead to suicide attempts and death. 

How to cope and manage if you have depression?

Here are a few things you can do to cope with depression:

Seek professional help

If you have not been diagnosed, do not stick to self diagnosis based on your symptoms. Seek out professional consultations starting with your GP who can refer you to specialists in the field. 

There may be different medications- some which might work for you while others that might not help you. 

Taking time to find a doctor who can help you with estimating the right dosage of medication and the right medical treatment can make the quality of your journey to recovery drastically different. 

Reduce stress

If it’s a job that is causing you immense stress, maybe it is time to consider taking a leave of absence. Or it could be your own family environment that is causing your symptoms to flare up- consider moving out if your financial situation persists. 

The intent here is to reduce or remove the things in your life that add stress. If it is a certain relationship, taking the time to set boundaries or communicate that you are taking time out can be one way. 

By reducing stressors, the thought of waking up and facing your day may seem a little less daunting, you might even look forward to it. 

Learn and apply coping skills

If you are depressed, you can learn coping skills and techniques and apply them at least once a day when experiencing depression. 

This can be learning how to tackle your anxieties and negative moods by regulating your breathing and engaging in deep breathing techniques. 

You can also try grounding techniques to help you cope with spiralling down a negative rumination. Make goals for each day and let your goals be small, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound, 

Make plans for your day that suit your pace- if today is especially difficult, make a step by step plan from your bed to the bathroom in the mornings. Reward yourself when you succeed and be kind when you slip up. Remind yourself that you are learning. 

Exercise

Engaging in exercise, even if it is only a 15 minute stretch can be a wonderful step towards loving yourself and caring for yourself. 

You can opt for joining the gym however, if this is too much you can consider yoga or pilates that you can start gradually; you can also go for walks or runs alone or with your loved ones. 

Getting out of your house and doing something that allows you to get your blood pumping in itself can be a great way of self care. 

Eat a healthy diet

Diet is an important aspect of overall health and is an important component of maintaining a positive state of mental health. 

There has been plenty of research studies that have been linked to what we eat and higher risks of depression. Research finds that well balanced meals with adequate intake of vegetables, fruits, grain, and healthy fats are related to lower risks of depression.

Sleep well

Take time to improve your sleep hygiene. Research has found that sleep disorders are also a core symptom of depression. Irregular sleep and not enough sleep can make your healing process difficult and can even heighten the risk of relapse. 

Some of the things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene are

• Avoid substances that impact your sleep, this includes caffeine. 
• Exercise daily
• Avoid heavy dinners
• Change your sleeping environment to be more soothing and sleep inducing. 
• Make changes in your pre-sleep routine such as taking relaxing baths before sleep, avoiding gadgets two hours before sleeping time.

Connect with loved ones

Reaching out to people who love you and letting them know that you are having a hard time now, can bring you closer to people who truly love and care for you.

These are positive relationships we want and need around you as you begin your journey to recovery. Positive relationships help you discover joys and meaning to your life. 

Make plans to meet them for lunch, or go for a walk with them. Make sure you make clear what you can and cannot do and agree on something that both you and them can enjoy. 

You can also take the step to connect with other people who are coping with depression through group therapy or support groups.

Oftentimes, listening to other people’s successes can instil hope, it also gives you the opportunity to learn new perspectives of living and life along with new techniques to cope.

Conclusion

In this blog we have discussed Pewdiepie, depression, and his choice to take a break from youtube.

References

Louise Gryphon. PewDiePie under a ‘colossal amount of pressure’ and ‘exhausted’ before break as he steps back from YouTube. Metro.UK. Retrieved on 27th April 2022. https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/16/pewdiepie-colossal-amount-pressure-exhausted-break-steps-back-youtube-12069600/

Saahil Agnelo Periwal. “I like my life more now”: PewDiePie opens up about his future, mental health and more. Sports Keeda. Retrieved on 27th April 2022. https://www.sportskeeda.com/esports/i-like-life-now-pewdiepie-opens-future-mental-health