Depression is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people each day. If you’ve experienced depression in the past and are feeling your symptoms return, you may be experiencing a depression relapse. This is when you experience a return of depressive symptoms within a certain period after completing a depression treatment program. If you’re going through a depression relapse, help is available at The Ranch PA.
Our treatment center in Wrightsville welcomes people from all walks of life who are struggling with depression and are at risk of relapsing. Our team has experience treating all types of depression, including major depressive disorder (MDD), persistent depressive disorder (PDD), and bipolar I and II disorders. We’ll create a tailored treatment program based on your unique symptoms that’ll include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and other beneficial therapies.
What Is a Depression Relapse?
Most people will experience depression at some point in their lives. Research suggests that a person who experiences depression will have four or five episodes during their lifetime. Depression relapse is when you have another depressive episode within around six months of being treated for depression. It’s a return of your original symptoms, which can last several weeks or longer without proper treatment.
Depression Relapse Triggers
Common triggers for depression relapse include:
- Increased stress levels at home, work, or school
- Major life changes, such as the loss of a loved one, illness, or unemployment
- Stopping or changing medications without consulting your doctor
- Neglecting self-care, such as not getting enough sleep, unhealthy eating, and isolation
- An increase in drug or alcohol use
If you’re at risk of experiencing a depression relapse, there are several things that you can do to prevent a relapse from occurring.
What To Do When Relapsing
Learn all you can about the signs and symptoms of depression and be on the lookout for any early warning signs. Continue talking with a therapist and others in a depression treatment program. You can also:
- Talk to your doctor or therapist about the medications you’re taking and if there are any changes in the way you feel and behave.
- Practice stress management techniques, such as meditation, yoga, joining an exercise group, or other self-care practices you learned during therapy.
- Maintain your support system by staying in touch with them and talking about any changes in how you feel.
If you’re experiencing any signs of depression, enroll in a depression treatment program today. They’ll develop a comprehensive program that uses behavioral and holistic therapies and medication to ease any depressive symptoms.
Recognizing the Signs of Depression
If you’re worried that a friend or loved one is struggling with depression, the best thing you can do is educate yourself on the signs of depression so you can know what to look for.
Psychological Symptoms
If you’re depressed, you’ll experience persistent sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness that lasts for several days or much longer. You’ll lose interest in pleasurable activities and always feel worthless or experience excessive guilt. It’ll affect your ability to concentrate, impact decision-making abilities, and recalling important details that you just talked about. You’ll experience feeling overwhelmed and unable to control your emotions.
Physical Symptoms
People with depression can experience physical symptoms, which include having low energy or fatigue, changes in sleep patterns, changes in appetite and weight, and unexplained aches, pains, and stomach issues. Other physical signs of depression include slowed movements and speech, headaches, dizziness, reduced sex drive, and changes in the menstrual cycle for women.
Behavioral Symptoms
Those with depression will experience behavioral changes and begin withdrawing from friends and family and cancel or decline to meet with friends or other social events. They’ll start neglecting their hygiene or self-care and be at risk of developing a substance use disorder (SUD) involving alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication. Other behavioral signs include:
- Participating in risky or reckless behavior
- Neglecting personal and work responsibilities
- Increased sensitivity to criticism or rejection
- A decrease in confidence and self-esteem
While there’s no cure for depression, there are several treatment programs available that can help ease these symptoms and more. Treatment programs incorporate behavioral and holistic therapies that are proven very effective in reducing symptoms and teaching people how to cope with their symptoms and other life skills.
Connect With The Ranch PA and Enroll in Depression Treatment Today
Recovery Ranch PA is a full-service mental health treatment center that welcomes those struggling with major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and other types of depression. We take the time to get to know you and talk about how we treat depression through our residential and outpatient treatment programs. Therapists use the top behavioral therapies and medication to ease depressive symptoms and any withdrawals and cravings caused by co-occurring addiction.
To begin a conversation about our depression treatment program, fill out our online form or call 717.969.9126 today to schedule a consultation and tour of our treatment center in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania.