Depression usually strikes more than once in a lifetime. For many people, it can become a chronic or lifelong illness, with several relapses or recurrences. On average, most people with depression will have four to five episodes during their lifetimes.
Doctors define relapse as another episode of depression that happens fewer than six months after you've been treated for acute depression. A recurrence is a new episode that comes after six months or longer since the previous episode has resolved. Regardless of the timeline, it can be demoralizing to feel depression symptoms, such as sadness, fatigue, and irritability, creeping back into your life.
If you believe that you're facing depression a second time (or more), talk to your primary care doctor, psychiatrist, or therapist right away about getting treatment again.
