Practicing the ideal depressed self: Young professional women’s accounts of managing depression

This article is based on a qualitative investigation of contemporary female subjectivities at the intersection of two particular identities: being a ‘young professional woman’ and ‘depressed’. Thirteen women working in both private and public sector roles in two major cities in Aotearoa New Zealand participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Employing a practice-based approach to analysis, my aim was to explore whether participants’ accounts are inflected by what cultural scholars call the ‘top girl’ or ‘can-do girl’ ideal and the implications for ‘recovering’ from depression. I identified five identity practices which constitute the subject position of the ‘ideal depressed self’ who (i) delivers no matter what, (ii) puts on a brave face (particularly at work), (iii) treats her depression medically, (iv) looks after herself, and (v) works towards becoming more positive. A discussion of the discursive underpinnings, in particular neoliberal and postfeminist rhetoric, highlights the harmful effects of this individualizing perspective.