How About the Prognosis of Depression
Depression represents a combination of a negative mood state and
physical changes that persist everyday for at least two weeks.
Depressive symptoms usually develop over several weeks, although some
sufferers may experience milder symptoms of the disease for months before their condition
results in a full Major Depression.
Untreated, Major Depression can last six to 12 months, with 40 percent
of individuals still having symptoms sufficient to meet the diagnosis after one year.
More than 85 to 90 percent of people with depression can be treated
effectively. In most cases, an individual eventually will experience a complete remission
of symptoms. However, approximately 25 to 33 percent of those untreated will continue to
have some symptoms and associated difficulty with daily life that can linger for months or
years.
Some people may only have a single episode of depression. However, more than 50 percent
of those affected will experience another episode termed recurrent depression. Left
untreated, this represents a chronic disease, with each episode increasing the risk for
another bout of the disease. Seventy percent of those who have two episodes can expect to
have a third, while 90 percent of individuals experiencing three episodes will have a
fourth episode.
