Depression Treatment | How Long Do I Take Medication?
May 27th, 2007 by Dr. Marks
Of course, the short answer to this is it depends on your needs and your individual situation. But in general, according to epidemiological studies, once a person has one episode of depression, they have a 50-60% chance of having a second episode at some point in their life.. That second episode may be months to years later, or not at all. After the second episode, the chance of having a third is 70%. After third episode, the chance of a fourth goes up to 90%.
Therefore usually doctors recommend individuals in their first or second episode be treated for 9 months to a year and then taper off the medication and see what happens. After the third episode, since the chance of a recurrence is 90%, doctors usually recommend remaining on andepressant medication indefinitely.
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