If you’ve experienced depression in the past, you may be worried about the potential for relapse.
This includes feeling tearful,hopeless, gloomy, empty, or miserable.
This is especially true if your low mood or sadness interferes with your daily life.
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These are signs that low mood may indicate a depression relapse.
Irritability
Do you find yourself getting annoyed more easily than before?
Are you snapping at people or finding that you quickly fly off the handle or get angry?
If so, you may be experiencingirritabilityas a symptom of a depression relapse.
If irritability is a problem for you, you likely have alow tolerancefor stressful situations.
This means you tend to react with annoyance or anger when faced with minor inconveniences.
In other words, anything can set you off and cause you to argue with others.
Brain Fog
Most people with depression experience something known asbrain fog.
Brain fog refers to theslowing down of cognitive processes(i.e., thinking).
This means that you may have trouble thinking and feel as though your thoughts are slowed down.
Brain fog can also mean problems with concentration, decision-making, problem-solving, and memory.
Sleep Changes
How is your sleep?
Sleep is another aspect of your health that can be easily impacted during a depression relapse.
This, in turn, can make it harder to fall asleep and lead toinsomnia.
It may also worsenfatigueand make it harder to get out of bed in the morning.
If you are experiencing any of these issues, this could be an indication of relapsing depression.
Social Withdrawal
Have you been able to keep up with your social obligations?
Some people who have a depression relapse may experience social withdrawal as one of the main signs of relapse.
Social withdrawalcan have a negative effect on your relationships, which in turn may worsen your depression.
In combination, these issues may point to a depression relapse.
Feeling Worthless
How have you been feeling about yourself?
Fatigue can make everything seem much harder to accomplish.
Aches and Pains
Depression is not only experienced in the mind.
If this is the case, it means that your depression has returned.
In the case of severe depression, you likely have also lost interest in things you used to enjoy.
You may also feel hopeless about your position in the world.
All of these are indications of relapsing depression.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Depression can indeed return at any time,even if you are taking medicationor receiving therapy.
It can also return without any obvious outside trigger or stressor.
However, sometimes,depression relapse follows an external event.
Below are some potential triggers or causes of a depression relapse.
Below are some of the options that you may want to consider in consultation with your doctor.
Practice Self Care
Self-care is the act of taking care of your physical and mental health.
Reflect on your time in treatment and what you learned.
Are there strategies you could start using again?
Are there workbooks or tracking logs that your therapist gave to you?
Do not abruptly stop taking medication if you do not like how it is making you feel.
One way to do this is by using amood tracker.
There are also mood trackers that span an entire year.
The benefit of tracking your mood by using a mood tracker is twofold.
The difference is that you will be doing self-exploration rather than exploration with the aid of a therapist.
Choose a time of day when you will be relaxed and not likely to be interrupted.
Use a blank journal, and begin writing about whatever comes to mind, good or bad.
Be curious about your writing and take a stab at “get to the bottom” of your feelings.
Journaling can also be a way to catch negative thought patterns andreframethem in a more realistic tone.
It may be necessary to restart medication, resume therapy, or make plans for a new treatment regime.
Recurrent depression is completely normal, so there is no shame in reaching out for help a second time.
However, depression can make it hard to do the smallest of tasks.
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