“How long does long term depression last?”
I am a 29 year old female. I want to know how long does long term depression last?
2 Answers
It should get better in 6-12 months however if it does not then one should seek treatment asap, from a psychiatrist.
The duration of "long-term depression," AKA chronic or relapsing depression, depends upon several factors. First, have you ALWAYS been depressed, or did depression arise as a result of things that happened to you? Examples of external factors include childhood emotional trauma, rape, physical or sexual abuse, loss of a relationship, or other adverse events. Drug or alcohol abuse commonly causes depression. Sometimes people become depressed in the winter because there's so little sunlight.
Depression also has a strong genetic component. If you study identical twins raised apart (so whatever they have in common is purely genetic), there's a 50% chance that if one twin is depressed, the other twin will also be depressed.
If your depression has always been present and you don't have a history of adverse events, then it is a MEDICAL condition that will likely require antidepressants over decades, if not lifelong. Depression due to adverse experiences is a feature of post-traumatic stress disorder, which requires its own treatment. Sometimes you don't know why you're depressed, but it keeps coming back if you stop your medication. Then you simply need to keep taking it.
Regardless of the cause of depression, psychotherapy can be extremely helpful. Talk therapy is proven useful, where you work through the events that have haunted you. Even better is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves TRAINING you how to turn off depressing thoughts. Many therapists who say they do CBT have never actually been trained in how to do it, so look for someone who specializes in CBT.
Depression also has a strong genetic component. If you study identical twins raised apart (so whatever they have in common is purely genetic), there's a 50% chance that if one twin is depressed, the other twin will also be depressed.
If your depression has always been present and you don't have a history of adverse events, then it is a MEDICAL condition that will likely require antidepressants over decades, if not lifelong. Depression due to adverse experiences is a feature of post-traumatic stress disorder, which requires its own treatment. Sometimes you don't know why you're depressed, but it keeps coming back if you stop your medication. Then you simply need to keep taking it.
Regardless of the cause of depression, psychotherapy can be extremely helpful. Talk therapy is proven useful, where you work through the events that have haunted you. Even better is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves TRAINING you how to turn off depressing thoughts. Many therapists who say they do CBT have never actually been trained in how to do it, so look for someone who specializes in CBT.
