When depression makes getting out of bed, eating, brushing teeth, and other essential tasks feel like chores, you may wonder, “How long does depression last?” When life feels monotonous, unenjoyable, or pointless, you may ask, “When will I feel like myself again?”
You don’t have to stay stuck in depression. Therapy can help. With locations across Long Island and in Manhattan offering high quality DBT therapy, help is closer than you think.
How long does depression therapy take?
Clients in depression therapy on Long Island here at Suffolk DBT receive the gentle reminder that depression has no set timeframe, you can’t rush healing, and the treatment process isn’t a race. How long depression lasts varies from person to person. How long depression therapy lasts varies, too, and there’s no shame in your journey being longer or shorter than someone else’s.
Factors fueling the onset of depression
There isn’t one singular cause of depression, but several possible factors that contribute to it, ranging from genetic to biological to environmental.
- Genetics. Do you have blood relatives with a form of depression? Genes don’t determine the course or length of depression, but they can contribute to making a person more susceptible.
- Brain chemistry. Structural and functional abnormalities in brain regions may influence depression onset. Likewise, changes in neurotransmitter (natural brain chemical) function and interaction with neurocircuits relevant to mood stability maintenance can play a significant role in depression.
- Co-occurring conditions. Depression commonly coexists with anxiety, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic pain, other chronic medical conditions, and substance use disorders, which can worsen and extend how long depression lasts.
Environmental complications contributing to the course of depression
The world around you, how it impacts you, and how you interact with others in it can also contribute to depression. Factors and experiences that can increase the risk of developing depression include:
- Abuse, neglect, and other traumatic experiences
- Divorce, death, loss, financial difficulties, and other family conflicts and relationship difficulties
- Heavy professional or academic workload, burnout, or toxic workplace culture and policies
- Facing systemic oppression and discrimination because of your race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identification, age, etc.
The greater and longer the exposure to such life stressors, the more likely depression and its symptoms may persist and worsen.
How long depression lasts can depend on the type of depression you experience
The most prevalent type of depression is major depressive disorder (MDD). However, other types of depression have varying durations and effects.
- Bipolar depression. This depression experienced by people with bipolar disorder involves mood switches between mania (extreme highs), hypomania (less intense mania), and depression (extreme lows). These episodes can vary from a week to two or much longer. An individual with bipolar disorder may experience rapid cycling, in which they have four or more episodes of mania, hypomania, or depression within a year.
- Dysthymia. Dysthymia, known as persistent depressive disorder (PDD), typically persists for two or more years in adults and one year in children and adolescents.
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD). The effects of SAD on mood, energy levels, and sleep patterns are responses to seasonal changes. SAD is characterized by recurrent depressive episodes that occur seasonally, most commonly during fall and winter. These episodes typically lessen during spring and summer when there’s more daylight exposure, but in some cases, symptoms are more prevalent in the summertime.
Heal effectively without worrying about a timeframe
Preoccupation with time and trying to rush through the healing process can prevent or sabotage any progress. If you want to find better ways to cope with depression symptoms, therapy can help.
- DBT Therapy. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a structured, evidence-based approach that helps individuals manage intense emotions, reduce self-destructive behaviors, and build healthier relationships. For those with depression, DBT can provide valuable tools like emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness, all of which support long-term stability and healing.
- Medications. Mental health clinicians can’t prescribe antidepressants, but they should be able to help you get connected to a medication provider as necessary to alleviate depression symptoms. A professional can help you find the proper medication and dosage and use it safely.
- EMDR therapy. EMDR shows significant efficacy in treating depression. The therapeutic approaches employed in depression therapy on Long Island help individuals nonverbally process stressful and traumatic memories, identify and change negative thought patterns, and develop coping mechanisms.
- Holistic approaches. Your therapist can complement traditional treatments with additional approaches for depression symptom management, such as exercise and nutrition. These holistic approaches contribute to overall well-being and can positively impact the course of depression.
In depression therapy on Long Island at Suffolk DBT, clinicians guide clients in evidence-based treatments like DBT and EMDR with holistic components, and can provide referrals to medical providers as needed.
Spotlight on EMDR depression therapy on Long Island
At the heart of EMDR therapy is the idea that traumatic experiences can disrupt the brain’s information-processing system. Forcing yourself to soldier through trauma and depression-related symptoms without the right tools just to heal quickly can ultimately backfire, getting you stuck in defense mode and hindering you from living freely the way you deserve.
The disruptions to the brain can turn into negative beliefs about yourself or others, for example, that can exacerbate depression symptoms.
EMDR activates the brain’s natural healing capacity without having clients relive painful experiences and memories. Thought reprocessing ultimately neutralizes maladaptive beliefs and traumatic memories so that they’re no longer distressing.
Depression can drain your motivation, erode your sense of self, and trap you in patterns that feel impossible to break. DBT addresses these struggles through a structured, skills-based framework that includes four key modules: mindfulness, emotional regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and distress tolerance.
Rather than simply addressing surface symptoms, DBT helps rewire how you respond to life’s challenges. Whether you’re navigating a depressive episode or recovering from chronic emotional pain, DBT equips you with the tools to respond intentionally, not impulsively—and that shift can make all the difference.
There’s No Deadline for Healing
But you can start the journey today
A free 15-minute phone consultation with Suffolk DBT can be the first step toward discovering how evidence-based therapies like EMDR and DBT can support your healing. EMDR can help reprocess distressing memories and shift how your brain perceives threats, while DBT provides practical tools to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, and build more adaptive responses to life’s challenges.
Our skillful therapists are here to help you heal, reconnect with yourself, and regain the sense of control that depression may have taken from you.
Further reading:
If you’re concerned about your depressed teen, check out this article: https://suffolkdbtjl.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-getting-your-depressed-teen-help-in-nyc/