Next Steps

Follow-up

Depending on the severity of your depression, you will see your health-care provider more frequently, perhaps as often as every week or every other week, for the first six to eight weeks after the initial diagnosis of depression.

Be sure to tell your health-care provider about any medication side effects or urges to hurt yourself or others.

Prevention

People who have risk factors for depression should be "screened" regularly by their health-care provider. This means that when they see their health-care provider, questions should be asked that might indicate depression.

If identified early, those who are at risk for depression are more likely to benefit from treatment.

Outlook

Untreated episodes of clinical depression typically last from six to 24 months.

Properly treated episodes are much shorter in most people.

• About two-thirds of people will recover and be able to return to their normal activities within days or weeks.



• About 25% of all people will continue to exhibit moderate to severe symptoms for months to years after the initial episode.



• Nearly 10% of people with depression will have continuous or intermittent symptoms for two or more years. A person who has one episode of depression should be on the lookout for recurrent episodes of depression, since these occur about 50% of the time. However, quick treatment will usually be effective for these recurrent depressions, as well.

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