Does anyone else's depression start to come back when they're by themselves for too long? Mine does and it can become bad. Is this due to being alone/lonely?

I would personally say that the tendency for depressive symptoms to show more prominently during periods of time when we are alone is due to the fact that we are alone with our thoughts. We don't have the distractions of others to keep our minds away from focusing on our thoughts quite as obsessively. When we are by ourselves we tend to live more so through our thoughts and tend to primarily focus on them. When we become so stuck in our own head we can end up coming up with a whole new problem that wasn't necessary- overthinking.

Hi there. Yes, this is not an uncommon experience, and the nature of depression can cause us to isolate ourselves, which ultimately only makes it worse. When we are alone we have a lot of time to ruminate on our negative thoughts and emotions, and there is no one there to distract us. Without adequate coping strategies, this can lead to a more intense depressed state, as well as a feeling of loneliness and despair. It is really challenging when our depression tells us to isolate, but try to reach out to a friend/family/listener when you feel like your alone time is becoming detrimental to your mental health. No one should have to fight their struggles alone. Take care!

When you're alone, it's easier to start thinking about negative things. That doesn't mean you should always be surrounded by people or that being alone *causes* your depression, just that it sometimes causes your brain to start dwelling on depressing thoughts. To try and avoid this, maybe try and establish a different train of thought you get onto when you're feeling down. For example, say you keep thinking about how sad you are because of a recent breakup- try diverting your thoughts to something more positive whenever you feel yourself getting too deep into something sad. Maybe try thinking about a pet, or do some laundry.