Depression is a mental illness with a high prevalence. Like the flu, depression is a very painful experience during the onset of the illness and can be treated to restore social functioning. However, depression is a relapse-prone illness, and with each relapse, symptoms may become more severe, making treatment more difficult and requiring longer maintenance treatment. Therefore, how to prevent relapse is a great concern for many patients. Hong Wu, psychiatrist, Shanghai Mental Health Center
First, insist on consolidation and maintenance treatment. It is important to adhere to consolidation and maintenance treatment for a sufficient period of time during each depressive episode. Generally speaking, maintenance treatment for the first episode should be 6-8 months, while patients with relapse, especially those who relapse within 2 years, should maintain medication for more than 2 years, and those with multiple relapses should even take medication for life.
Second, regular follow-up. Patients in maintenance treatment period still need to be under the guidance of doctors.
Secondly, face life with an optimistic and positive attitude ;
Third, maintain a good routine and diet and exercise habits;
Fourth, early recognition of signs of relapse. Many patients are especially worried about relapse after their first episode, and some patients and family members always ask their doctors what are the signs of depression relapse, or some patients and family members are always “once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of the grass rope”, and they think it is a relapse when there is a slight movement in their life.
The following list of possible signs of depression relapse is for your reference only. If the following similar situations occur, do not be overly nervous, it is recommended to keep an eye on the situation, and if necessary, consult a doctor to help determine.
1. Loss of cheerfulness in life: You are not happy when you meet happy events, and you are often listless, miserable and sad for some small things;
2. The past hobby things fun, the whole day drowsy;
3. Life is lazy, all things are inattentive, do not think about progress;
4. Insomnia, difficulty in sleeping, early awakening, the symptoms last for a long time;
5. Thinking and movement start to be sluggish and slow;
6. Severe feelings of inferiority, guilt, and self-blame; 7. Sentimental, always feeling sick, but despite constant examinations, no abnormal results are detected;
8. Memory is not as good as before, often lose things;
9. Temper starts to become irritable, unable to concentrate;
10. often feel inexplicable panic and apprehension;
11. Anorexia, nausea, abdominal distension, diarrhea, but no obvious organic lesions;
12. Loss of appetite and weight loss for no reason;
3. A sense of physical fatigue, lack of energy and inability to do things;
14. Lack of interest in anything, little speech, laziness
15. Pain in the body without organic lesions
16. Decreased socialization with others, reluctance to communicate with friends and relatives, and even closed doors;
17. No interest in sexual life;
18. Often involuntarily feel empty, inexplicably feel bored and helpless;
19. always feel that their life has no value and meaning; 20. always think of topics related to death.