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%.Â
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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