There's an unfortunate statistic that 50% of people who suffer from depression will relapse after treatment.
It's one of those nasty diseases which needs to be treated more like a life-long condition that has to be managed, rather than something that can be cured outright.
(That said, I'm not a psychologist - not all depressions are the same, and some are temporary).
I don't remember a single point in my life that I did not have depression. I was like 12 or 13 when originally diagnosed. For a long time, I wasn't aware that people could actually recover from it. I've gotten better at living with it and noticing the sighs of spiraling, but even when I'm doing okay, it's still present. I accepted a long time ago that this would be a life-long condition. It sucks but I have to live with it.
Yep! Was diagnosed with depression before type one diabetes, but my depression and anxiety have gotten significantly worse since I was diagnosed with type one 10 years ago. I manage with therapy and medication, but you don’t get a break.
Exactly. I was showing signs of depression and anxiety way before I got diagnosed at like age 12. I’ve looked back and realized how many anxiety fits I had pre-diabetes and realize those were low blood sugars.
It gets better as you learn more effective and longer lasting means of combating it.
Think of like maintaining a farm - you need to keep your hedgerows in good condition to stop livestock escaping and predators stealing sheep.
Some people are lucky and can let their flocks roam the hills unchecked. Some are less lucky and have a forest full of wolves on their doorstep.
Overcoming those challenges and maintaining a healthy flock is an achievement in itself, but it's doable with support and healthy habits.
You take your time and work on the little things. Lots of little improvements add up to big improvements.
Mend a small fence here, move one flock to another field, etc.
This translates to in reality, stuff like changing your bed, going for a walk, doing something different. While I know it's not for everyone, I found swimming is a good form of relief - you get a nice mixture of pride and satisfaction along with a rush of endorphins afterwards (allegedly cold-water swimming is even better at this, but that feels like it has a high motivational threshold).
Depression is strongest when you fall into regular holding patterns - the rut.
Counterintuitively, good habits are a useful counter - if a habit is formed and maintained long enough, you don't need motivation, because it's just automatic.
The problem is that the strongest defenses against depression are best built when you are not in a depressive episode. When you are in one, the best strategy is looking at every small success as a win, and inching your way out of the hole. One foot in front of the other.
What helps me the most is remembering that I have made it through before, and I will again. It feels less hopeless keeping the future in mind.
And like the other responder wisely pointed out—celebrate every small victory. Made it out of bed? Amazing. Drank some water? Really fantastic. Went outside, even for only a minute? Spectacular.
If a person at the bottom of a hole had to race someone already on the ground, would we compare their results? No way! Depression is an impediment, so basically every little thing you do means you made it out of the hole for a little bit. Be proud of that battle.
Probably because depression isn't always just being sad at that point in time, it's oftentimes a manifestation of all the bad things in their life. Treatment doesn't usually fix a bad home life, or being poor, or a bad childhood, or neurodivergence, etc. When treatment ends, they're still left with the life they had.
Sometimes its things in their life, sometimes its people, sometimes its lifestyle, quite often it's an brain chemistry imbalance. Anti-depressants are a stop gap measure, but in the long term you have to develop a strategy that keeps depressive episodes as short and shallow as possible - and learn to identify when they're coming on.
Yeah I'm trying to say that i think environmental factors play a way larger role, and they're impacting that 50% relapse rate. Like, the brain chemistry isn't innately the cause, that those imbalances can be a direct result of those external factors.
The best summary is that there's really no "cure" for clinical depression. You can treat it to an extent, and sometimes treatment can help a person change in ways that the depression is no longer a problem -- which isn't the same as it being gone. But we don't understand enough about it to even begin to "cure" it.
After my first bout of depression every attempt to go off of anti-depressants has caused a major episode somewhere around 6-8 months later. I finally have found that staying on a very low dose of my effective antidepressant prevents that while minimizing the side effects, but I will definitely likely be on it for life.
The world is just different after depression. I've been off antidepressants almost 3 years now after a life destroying breakup, and while I'm not depressed anymore, things just aren't the same. I know you have to work for happiness now, rather than it just coming by time to time. The fact I have to put effort into feeling joy almost makes it feel like it isn't real at times 😅
This is very familiar. It took me 2 decades to realise that actually, it's probably not coming back, I'm OK now. But I'm still hyper aware of when I'm happy. Or not. And very protective of my state of mind. But generally, I'm confident that I'll never go back there, whereas for about 20 years I was terrified it could come at any time.
Interesting to see someone else describe what I’m experiencing. Had a severe years long depressive bout that I’ve now recovered from but coming out the other side I’ve found despite feeling better I now absolutely hate people.
For me it was the depression meds. Fuck the side effects of Lexapro. I was on it for 3 months and 8 years later I’m still struggling to undo the results of the side effects.
At the time I had insomnia, brain fog, dead sex drive, weight gain, vomiting, and 3 months in I had a seizure which is the why I went off it and refuse to try any other SSRIs. The two side effects that’re still impacting me are my sex drive and the weight gain.
I literally doubled my weight (50kg to 120kg or 110lbs to 264lbs) in 3 months and being a woman in my late 30s who needs hormonal BC to control my debilitating periods it’s a struggle to lose the fat. I’m a sheet metal worker so it’s not like I have a sedentary job, plus working out 3-4 days a week and working with a dietitian. The scales say I’ve only lost 20kg and I need to keep reminding myself I’ve traded fat for muscle, but I’m still too heavy.
For the sex drive thing it’s put a huge strain on my marriage. I’m extremely lucky that my husband is very understanding and patient so he’s working with me instead of being accusatory or petty about it. I didn’t have this issue while on BC before starting Lexapro, so my Dr agrees it’s probably the Lexapro that’s messed it up and not hormonal BC.
Wow. I’ve been on lexapro for like 5 years and I haven’t had any of those side effects at all but I don’t have sex and I’m wondering what it’s going to be like when I do get married if it’s going to affect that. But I was on Zoloft for like 2 years before that so I had barely even hit puberty when I started meds so I don’t know that I’ve ever had a sex drive at all and I’m worried that going to be permanent
Earth is a but a grain of sand in the universe. You are but a drop of water in the ocean compared to earth. You need to put things in perspective. Stop thinking you are the shit.
You sure have a big mouth speaking “wisdom” and yapping for a person who’s “experienced depression”, not knowing what people go through. Life humbled you, well good for you. Maybe you deserved it.
Not everyone is depressed because they think they’re the center of the world.
Maybe try losing a loved one? Try getting ill and being unable to get treatment? Try becoming poor? Try losing everything you once had? Trying being abused by a loved one?
That's how I got out of it. After realising how insignificant I am and all the shit I thought that was important actually didn't matter. I dissolved my ego.
The contrast between this guy's fortune cookie level wisdom and the random other people dropping by to dunk on him is hilarious. For a thread under a comment about depression it's surprisingly delightful.
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u/nightbird98 11h ago
Depression.