Stay well

When you have recovered fully, you will be impatient to get on with your life. You will want to get back to the same tempo that you had before your illness.

The idea of wanting to recover fully quickly is understandable. You will however have after-effects which will not be visible, and outwardly you will appear back to normal. But you should still take care of yourself during this critical phase.

You may find it easier to understand this if you compare your depression with a physical illness. Imagine that you have broken your thigh bone, and that your leg has been in plaster for three months. When the plaster is removed, your thigh muscles will be weak. You have not been active for three months. Only once the thigh muscles have been strengthened through exercise will you be able to use the leg again.

In the same way, you will also need to "get yourself fit again" after a depression. You will need time to collect yourself because you will still be fragile and less tolerant to stress and disappointment than before.

If you have been admitted for depression, you may now want to be discharged. This is a happy event, but it may also give you some cause for concern. You may be asking yourself:

• Can I cope?
• Have I really recovered?
• Can I function normally again?

Remember that you are still vulnerable. It is therefore vital that you take care of yourself: After you are discharged, you should preferably be on sick leave for about a month. The sick leave should apply from the day on which you and your doctor decide that your symptoms have disappeared.

During your sick leave, you will have time to get back to your previous rhythm little by little. It would be best if at first you slowly step up the activities you enjoy. This applies to both physical and mental activity.

You should of course also continue taking your medicine, even if it is tempting to stop when you are feeling better. As a general rule, you should continue taking your medicine for six months after you have recovered fully. This period of six months applies to everyone who has not suffered from depression before, but if you have been depressed before, or if the depression has been complicated, you should continue taking your medicine for longer. The doctor who is treating you will be able to tell you more accurately when you should stop taking your medicine.

Only by continuing to take your medicine and, where appropriate, having psychotherapy will you be able to prevent a relapse. We advise you to keep in close contact with your doctor or psychiatrist during this period.

Perhaps you were previously unable to receive psychotherapy, but now is a good time to start psychotherapeutic treatment. Read more about psychotherapy here.