We all wish we knew certain things in life. Like how long our favorite sports team will have a losing streak. Or how long will we be sitting in traffic when it gets backed up. And yes, we wonder how long our mental health will continue to feel rocky.
Depression is something that impacts millions of people. It is far more than just feeling sad or down every once in a while. It’s a serious condition that can have really challenging symptoms associated with it.
When you are dealing with depression, you just want to know — how much longer will I have to feel like this?
What Is Depression?
Before we can talk about how long depression might last, let’s look at its symptoms.
- Sadness
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Headaches
- Stomach aches
- Changes in appetite (eating too much or not enough)
- Mood swings
- Social isolation
- Loss of interest in activities or hobbies
- Thoughts of suicide
When someone is experiencing depression, they can go through any combination of the above symptoms. They don’t have to go through all of them. However, it is important to note that to receive a diagnosis of depression, someone must have experienced these symptoms for more than 2 consecutive weeks.
Causes Of Depression
There are no singular causes of depression. It can’t be linked to a certain gene like inheriting eye or hair color. With that said, though, someone is more likely to experience depression if they watched a parent or caregiver go through it.
Lack of certain chemicals, like serotonin, plays a huge role in someone’s overall happiness levels.
Alternatively, someone’s personal life can contribute to depression. Events such as:
- Childhood trauma
- Traumatic experiences
- Abuse
- Loss of a loved one or friend
- Job loss
- Feeling unfulfilled in life
All of these events, and more, can have an impact on somebody’s overall feelings of happiness and contentment.
Managing Depression
Depression is a highly treatable condition. No matter the amount of time it has been going on, it is never too late to find your way out of the darkness.
There are a few important aspects of depression that are important to note, however. Is depression manageable? Absolutely, you just have to have the right resources and knowledge to do so. But depression rarely ever goes away on its own.
One major reason for that is that depression is often deeply rooted in our lives. So much so that it can feel challenging to get to the bottom of why I feel this way due to there being many factors contributing to it.
Depression, unfortunately, is hard to manage completely on your own. That’s not to say that someone can’t proactively manage the symptoms or find small moments of happiness on their own. It’s just that over time, depression inevitably comes back when someone is trying to deal with it alone.
Let’s get to the bottom line…
How Long Does Depression Last?
Honestly, there is no timeline. There is no timetable that says, “On average, depression will be present for x amount of time before it goes away.” We wish there were. There is nothing more we want than to be able to give you hope with a definitive answer.
What we can definitively say is that therapy is a powerful way to combat depression. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you need support or that you aren’t feeling your best. You are human. And regardless of what has happened to you or what is causing depression, you matter.
If you are struggling with depression, we strongly encourage you to reach out for support. Together, through depression therapy, we can help you find relief.
