Medication can help many people with chronic depression to maintain a level of stability and navigate the ebbs and flows of daily life, but the appearance of stress, grief, or any overwhelming circumstances can still trigger a depressive episode.
If someone suffers from treatment-resistant depression, the realization that they are falling into a depressive episode can be doubly terrifying. Don’t wait and try to muscle through this mental health crisis alone. Seek the right support to weather this mental health crisis.
When You Can’t Get Out of a Depressive Episode
A depressive episode is formally defined as a period of depression that persists for two weeks at least. A person experiencing this might have a low mood, a loss of interest in pleasurable activities and daily life, poor concentration, extreme fatigue, self-harm, or thoughts of death or suicide.
For people diagnosed with major depressive disorder or any other mental health condition like anxiety, a depressive episode is always a possibility, even if you’ve been in a healthy mental place for a long time. The severity of the episode can be major or minor, but what’s most important is finding a way out of depression when it occurs. Most people need support to make this happen, often through medication, therapy, and focused inpatient care.
Managing a Depressive Episode with Treatment-Resistant Depression
People with treatment-resistant depression are often fully functional. They go about their daily life, muscling through so they can take care of their family or do their job. Most people will not notice that anything is wrong or difficult for them. No one managing this state of being, though, is fully succeeding or feeling their best. Each day can be a mountain to climb. Add the weight of a full depressive episode and it can be almost impossible to persevere.
It’s daunting to know that as someone with treatment-resistant depression, the prescribed medication you currently take has no guarantee of working from day to day, let alone do enough to keep you from a depressive episode or pull you out of it when a low period hits. In these times, immediate action is crucial and support is non-negotiable:
- The best thing you can do for yourself is ask for support, and that can look different for every person.
- Acknowledge the depressive episode. Many people with treatment-resistant depression avoid facing the signs or symptoms because they don’t want to admit they’re on the edge of another dark time.
- If you have been through depressive episodes before, you know what works for you (e.g., sleep or journaling) and what doesn’t (e.g., forced socializing). Rely on what works but also be open to trying new ways to help yourself.
- No matter where you are in a depressive episode, this mental health crisis deserves professional treatment. A mental health rehab can provide immediate support to guide you through this time in your life. You will also leave with powerful tools to help you stay healthy and positive behaviors that may prevent a depressive episode in the future.
What to Expect from Treatment for a Depressive Episode
When you check yourself into an inpatient or outpatient treatment program for self-healing and wellness, you will receive intensive therapy for depression as well as clinical care and other supportive treatments. This can include any of the following luxury programs and more, personalized to your state of mental health right now:
- Medication management
- Therapy
- Lifestyle interventions
- Artistic expression
- Equine therapy
- Yoga
- Massage
- Meditation
Support for mental health also includes specialized approaches for individual care if you are simultaneously experiencing grief, stress, trauma, anxiety, codependency, or other matters while going through a depressive episode. Depression is not a solitary battle. Support is always available so you can trust that you have a soft place to fall and a powerful place to recover so you are stronger than you were before.
It isn’t easy to reach out for support, but you can get the care you need right away. The goal at Beachside Rehab in Fort Pierce, Florida, is to provide holistic healing. We are a clinically driven retreat with a structured program to help you find healing, wellness, and peace at the most challenging times of your life. Contact us to discuss inpatient and outpatient rehab, holistic recovery, and mental health treatment, all in a luxury retreat setting. Call today at 866-349-1770 to speak with a trained admissions counselor.