It’s tough to get back on track after something really upsetting happens. Big, stressful events or major life changes can sometimes leave us feeling sad, unmotivated, or just plain tired. If this sounds like you, you might be dealing with reactive depression. That’s a mental health thing where you get depressive symptoms after something specific caused a lot of stress. People also call it situational depression. It shares some traits with other depression types, but it’s also different in important ways. Here, we’ll talk about what reactive depression is and how it’s not quite the same as other kinds of depression.
What’s reactive depression?
Reactive depression (or situational depression) means you get symptoms of depression when you’re having a hard time handling the emotional fallout and other effects of a stressful or important event. Usually, it looks like a low mood, tiredness, losing interest in things, less energy, and trouble focusing. An online therapist can help with these and other mental health signs.
Reactive depression usually involves:
- Low mood
- Feeling tired
- Losing interest
- Less energy
- Trouble focusing
Reactive depression can be thought of as an adjustment disorder with a depressed mood. That’s based on the DSM-V, a book doctors use to diagnose mental health issues. The DSM says an adjustment disorder means you have emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor(s) occurring within 3 months of the onset of the stressor(s) and it lasts less than six months. The stressors can be anything from tough life stuff to really bad events, like an attack or a natural disaster.
Things that can kick off reactive depression:
Some things that can trigger reactive depression are:
- A breakup
- Losing a job
- A bad accident
- Moving to a new city
Related Article: Is Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) A Serious Mental Health Condition?
How reactive depression is different from other depression issues
Depressive disorders are a separate group of mood problems in the DSM. These include major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and others. While the main things about these conditions are similar, their length and causes can be different.
Major depressive disorder vs. reactive depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as major depression or clinical depression, is one type often compared to situational depression. Unlike MDD, reactive depression usually has a clear trigger you can point to.
Major depression, though, doesn’t need a specific source. It also usually sticks around longer than situational depression. Even though the rules for MDD say you only need symptoms for two weeks, it often lasts over six months. And for many people, it keeps coming back.
Even though situational depression isn’t considered a depressive *disorder*, it’s a real mental health problem that can really mess with how someone feels, how they function, and their social life. Reactive depression can also turn into major depression if it’s bad enough and lasts a long time.
Related Article: What Causes Depression And Mental Health Conditions?
Getting help for reactive depression
If you’re noticing signs of reactive depression, it’s important to get help. Depression is a mental health condition that can be treated. Treatment usually involves therapy and medicine.
A therapist can help you figure out how the stressful event you went through led to depression. They can help you deal with your feelings about it, give you support, teach you ways to cope, and check for other mental health issues you might have.
Finding the right therapist is super important.
Kinds of medicine for depression and related issues
There are a few different types of depression medicine, like SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, and tricyclic antidepressants. Always talk to a doctor before starting or stopping any medicine. If you think you have reactive depression or something similar, a mental health or medical professional can give you tests and decide if you need more checking, a diagnosis, or treatment.
Related Article: Coping Skills For Depression: Exploring Depression Worksheets
Ways to cope with reactive depression
Besides treatment, there are things you can do on your own. Here are some proven ways to cope with depression:
- Exercise
- Self-care
- Support from others
Exercise
There’s a strong link between moving your body and feeling better when you’re depressed. The endorphins your brain releases when you exercise can boost your mood and ease pain. Exercise can also take your mind off stressful stuff and the tough times you might be having. Plus, physical activity can help with physical health problems that might be making your depression worse. Think about trying yoga, doing workouts at home, or taking regular walks.
Practice self-care
Reactive depression can sometimes make it hard to take care of yourself. Self-care can help you focus on your mental and physical health while you work on your depressive symptoms. You can be kind to yourself by eating well, getting enough good sleep, taking time to relax, and doing things you like. Self-care can be anything from a warm bath to a cup of tea to taking a mental health day off work.
Look for support
There’s a clear connection between having social support and feeling good mentally. By hanging out with family, friends, and other loved ones often, you can avoid feeling alone, which can make depression worse. Your support system can also offer kindness, encouragement, and care. They can listen and give emotional support, helping you sort through your feelings.
If you want more support, think about joining a support group for people with depression. There, you can meet people going through similar things. You might also want to add a mental health professional to your support system.
Managing reactive depression with online therapy
Studies show that online therapy can help people with situational depression feel better. For example, in one study, researchers found that online cognitive behavioral therapy really cut down depressive symptoms and made life better for people with adjustment disorder, which is the main diagnosis for reactive depression. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a popular type of therapy that can help people change negative ways of thinking – like those about a big life change or other stressor – that might be behind their depression.
The takeaway
It’s normal to have emotional ups and downs after a traumatic event, but if you’re feeling really distressed and having depressive symptoms, you might have reactive depression. Knowing how situational depression might affect you – and how its symptoms differ from other depression types – can help you handle this treatable mental health condition. If you want a professional’s help as you work through reactive depression, think about getting matched with a licensed therapist online. You deserve help and guidance as you deal with life’s challenges and keep moving toward feeling good mentally.
Related Article: Unipolar Depression And Bipolar Depression: What Is The Difference?