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Does depression ever fully go away once you've experienced it for a long period of your life? It feels like it is part of me now.

28 Answers
Last Updated: 05/10/2021 at 7:10am
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United States
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Stacey Kiger, LPC

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My belief is that therapy is not about giving advice, but joining you on your journey

Top Rated Answers
courageousMagic24
May 2nd, 2015 6:18pm
No, Depression NEVER fully goes away once you've been a victim of it. Although treatment and medication may help enormously, and you may feel mostly cured, but from time to time, you will unfortunately feel depressed without a doubt.
Jay9816
August 11th, 2015 7:29am
Yes! it does go away! But please when it does go away, keep your guard up! There are certain triggers that may happen in life to cause you relapse! But don't worry much its completely normal and sadly that is how the beast is :/ BUT there is help for you and you beat it before so you can certainly do it again! Please if a relapse happens to you dont let it bring you down:) You WILL defeat depression, it takes time but it will happen as long as you keep at it.You cannot defeat a beast with one punch. You have to slay that b--ch! You can do this! Stay strong amigo :)
oceansunfish
December 28th, 2015 12:46am
Your depression is not who you are. The depression defines your current reality in a way that is really hard to see past. That is because it is inside your mind, and it's almost impossible for people to not believe in illusions and falsehoods that originate in the mind. We all fall for the tricks our minds play on us, even after those tricks are revealed to us. Ever seen one of those visual illusions, where one line looks longer than the other when it's not, or two identical shades of grey look different? They still look that way after you know the truth, and no matter how hard you try, you can't see them the way you know them to be. Depression is like that, only it's deeper. Instead of the part of your mind that deals with vision tricking you, it's the part of your mind that tells you what is true and what is not. When you're depressed, you can't really trust anything negative that you believe. If it feels true, it's probably not. You have to look at objective evidence instead. Objective evidence says that most people recover from depression and are completely normal afterwards. Your past is a part of you and will never fully go away. This is a good thing. The experience of being depressed and recovering can teach you strength, coping, compassion, appreciation and many other things. If it all just went away as soon as it was over, then our trying experiences in life would be deadweight loss. There could be no learning or growing.
delicateWaves32
June 22nd, 2015 10:40am
It might feel that will never go away, but it will. Depression is a hard thing to deal with, and it takes some time so get over it. but when you do...it will feel like it never happened!
EmpathyAeauria
September 15th, 2015 5:05pm
Yes it does go away, but it never fully goes away. I was depressed for years, but came out of it a couple months ago and haven't been depressed since. this was thanks to a new med I started, called Emsam, which I highly recommend exploring and asking your doctor about. It is the best antidepressant in my opinion. And it is actually good for the mind, unlike most other ones. Tianeptine is also worth looking into. despite the depression going away, I still experience what I call mood disorder and anxiety, with negative thoughts and feelings. These symptoms can be further treated, but I can tell they will be a part of me for the rest of life.
Anonymous
November 24th, 2015 3:06pm
Change can only come if you really want it.... Councilling can really help the process... It doesn't be apart of you forever, after we are not born with ...
BigHeartBetty
November 1st, 2016 5:43pm
Depression isn't something you can ever fully get rid of. It IS a part of you-- but that's not necessarily a BAD thing. Beating depression shows how strong you are. Your depression is a piece of you, yes. But it's not your definition. Define your depression-- don't let IT define YOU.
Anonymous
November 17th, 2015 7:39am
Depression can be healed but it takes a lot of hard work and determination to free yourself of it. Just seek out the right people and start treatment.
Anonymous
March 5th, 2015 1:47am
When you are experiencing depression it can seem as though it has consumed you or become one with you. Although it can feel as though it is inescapable at times, it is not. Time and taking care of yourself will slowly but surely make it fade and turn the fake smile into a real smile that is truly happy to have overcome depression.
Niyati30
January 25th, 2016 9:18pm
Yes Time is the best healer . Give some time let go of the things which have made during past.Start from scratch again
Tastica
November 23rd, 2015 12:27am
It never completely goes away, but once you fight your way out of it the first time, you have the tools and know-how to get yourself out of it again.
ForeverFlaming
December 7th, 2015 8:16am
Depression as well as sadness can be overwhelming, but if treated right and seeked for help sooner, it goes away. You'll get better eveantually. Maybe not now, maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but you'll get better! I promise! ;) ^-^
maybe2morrow
February 13th, 2017 12:15am
It really depends on the person. I have experienced it for a large portion of my life, there are times when I'm not as affected by it and there are times when it overwhelms me. But I do know it's getting better through professional help, and progress is all that matters.
Ubby
February 2nd, 2016 8:24pm
It varies for different people. I would suggest not letting yourself feel like it will be there forever. Depression is funny like that, it really takes over your head. Even the simple action of not thinking about it being there forever, could reduce your odds of it being there forever!
Hereforyou01
December 15th, 2015 11:46pm
Depression is a real, and very common mental disorder. There are so many factors and reasons why people feel depression. If you have experienced depression for a long period of time , it may be time to seek a professional to help you find the best way for YOU to treat it. It can be a hard first step to take, but it could really make a huge difference for the better in your life.
astrofinn
January 4th, 2016 11:54pm
Unfortunately it does not but there are hundreds of ways to manage it. There will always be things that can trigger your depression but you have to try and do things that make you happy. Go for walks, hang out with friends, go to the pictures, etc. Possibly even go to therapy whenever you sense your depression increasing
FindTheBeauty
February 8th, 2016 3:13pm
Depression tends to have what we call "relapse". This means that it will come back every now and then. If it lasted for a long period of time, then it will most likely go away and come back. It is something we can try to overcome and cope with.
yearofthewhisperedtorment
March 4th, 2015 8:42am
In my personal experience, I was diagnosed with depression about 2 years ago and the symptoms of it haven't really gone away. I have improved a lot but sometimes i can still feel it waying me down.
TheComedyTragedy
July 21st, 2015 10:48am
Sometimes depression can feel like it is a part of you and because it is so comfortable you choose to live with it, it doesn't bother you too much compared to somebody experiencing it the first time. This doesn't make it uncureable, if you want too you are still fully capable of fighting it.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2018 8:27pm
It does but life is not always sunshine its rain and snow and cloudy so if you battled chronic depression it is a balance act to know whats the depression and whats just life !
SaraMichelle
December 29th, 2015 4:36am
It does go away. Depression is not a permanent illness. However, it is a cruel one. Sometimes it comes back and then leaves once again. For me, it would hit me, leave and then hit me even harder. Hopefully for you, you never have to experience it again.
suspiciouslookingcactus
July 24th, 2017 6:56pm
It is definitely difficult to separate yourself from depression, and it is something that will pop up now and again throughout your life, but it is most important to remember that depression is not a part of you. There is you, and then there is depression. You will get better, and you will feel better.
ZoruuWolfen
February 19th, 2018 10:40pm
Depression can come back at any time sadly. It's not particularly an event, but a reaction to an event or series of events.
Anonymous
July 2nd, 2018 1:51pm
It can go away and it can return. It really depends on the person how long that period last for. There will be happier times ahead - we just need to have hope.
Peter1447
June 25th, 2019 10:47am
Look I can’t answer this from a doctor nor from a professional side of things because I am not a qualified doctor but I can tell you what I have learnt with dealing with depression for a good chunk of my life. From what I have learnt is that for me depression can be triggered from events. For eg when my Mum got diagnosed with cancer. I was doing well and boom there I was in depression again and needed medication to get back to normal. For personally I have been able with professional help not need to rely on Medication all the Time and that my depression can go away so I am hoping even after long stages of depression you can move on without it being there. Much love. Peter
Anonymous
July 27th, 2020 3:50am
I feel that your experiences will always be a part of you. My depression subsided over a year ago but on days when I run by certain triggers (songs I listened to while crying, arm wounds, or even certain depression quotes on Pinterest) I experience waves of the numbness I felt during the worst of it. I know this sounds disheartening but it is the truth. Depression is so hard to go through. Even when you get through the worst episode imaginable, you can never truly forget the way it made you feel. This doesn't need to be a horrible thing
Anonymous
January 26th, 2021 4:41am
Depression can sometimes fully go away once you have experienced it for a long period of your life.But sometimes it can feel like it is a part of you. But medication can help you get some relief of the symptoms. There are also some triggers that can cause the relapse of depression to happen. So it is good idea to identify those triggers and if possible learn ways how to address them before the situation gets worse. You can do this by keeping a journal, and learn what coping mechanisms you use to help you overcome such situations. Besides medications you can also use like groups therapies.
Anonymous
May 10th, 2021 7:10am
I was depressed for about 3 years of my life and I used to think that it would never ever go away. That I was meant to live with it now. In a way it does stick with you, it does become a part of you. But I think now depression to me is a reminder of the bad times and how I came out of them. It may be different for you, but I think that it for me, it's something that is a part of the past and yes, sometimes I am afraid that it will come back but for the most part, I think it reminds me of how strong I am.