Doctors define relapse as another episode of depression that happens fewer than six months after you've been treated for acute depression. A recurrence is a new episode that comes after six months or longer since the previous episode has resolved.
Stressful Life Events
The death of a loved one, loss of a job, end of a friendship, or separation from a romantic partner are all stressful life events that can trigger depression relapse, research shows.
Relapse is a gradual process that begins weeks and sometimes months before an individual picks up a drink or drug. There are three stages to relapse: emotional, mental, and physical. The common denominator of emotional relapse is poor self-care.
First Steps to Take After A Relapse
An article in Psychology Today cites studies that show most relapses happen within the first 90 days of abstinence, which is why attending a rehab program lasting at least 3 months may be most beneficial.
People call relapses by different names including an attack, episode, flare up or an exacerbation. Relapses can last anywhere between a few days, up to weeks or even months. In between relapses are periods of remission where you may have no symptoms, or your symptoms are relatively stable.
A relapse refers to a return of alcohol or other drug use, or gambling, which someone has previously managed to control or quit completely. In a relapse the use of alcohol or other drugs or gambling goes back to previous levels of use, or close to this. For example: June has been abstinent from alcohol for three weeks.
The clinician can motivate patients to consider a quit attempt with the "5 R's": Relevance, Risks, Rewards, Roadblocks, and Repetition.
The individual usually starts to experience negative emotional responses, such as anger, moodiness and anxious feelings. They also may begin to experience erratic eating and sleeping habits, and their desire for recovery often wanes due to a lack of using their support systems.
The probability of relapse is predicted by craving [4], executive self-control [5] and mental health distress [6]. The associations between craving and actual substance use are complex and vary [4].
The purpose of this sheet is to help people who have had a depressive episode to establish their relapse signature – the characteristic pattern of thinking and behaving that could signal the start of further episodes.
Mood Swings and Anger
If you have a hard time controlling difficult emotions and feelings, and they swing from one to the other, it may be a sign of emotional relapse on the horizon. Angry feelings and bad temper can be an underlying cause of emotional relapse.
For common mental illnesses such as depression, relapse could mean a loss of productivity and a drop in motivation or social interaction. For more severe mental illnesses, relapse could mean a drastic drop in everyday functions, social withdrawal, experience delusions or hallucinations or become aggressive.
A relapse happens when a person stops maintaining their goal of reducing or avoiding use of alcohol or other drugs and returns to their previous levels of use. This is different to a lapse, which is a temporary departure from a person's alcohol and other drug goals followed by a return to their original goals.
Behavioral therapies are one type of treatment that can help prevent future relapses. They teach you to modify unhealthy and incorrect beliefs about drug use and provide you with skills to manage stress, cravings, and triggers.
Expressing empathy: Listen to your loved one's feelings about their relapse, and acknowledge their feelings. Asking them how you can help: Before offering your own suggestions, ask them what they think would be the best ways for you to offer your support.
The simple answer to this question is no, not exactly. Although a relapse is a setback during a person's recovery, relapse does not necessarily send a person all the way back to where they started. Some people find it valuable to count how many days they have been sober from drugs and alcohol and some do not.
Poor sleep, tension (stress), and negative emotional states increase the risk of relapse;[10] adequate sleep, rest, and relaxation are essential components of self-care, optimal functioning, healing, and recommitting to a healthy lifestyle in recovery.
If you or someone you know who has been asking the question, “Is relapse a part of recovery,” it is. There are several treatment options available and tips on what to do after a relapse.
Relapses most often occur in the bone marrow. Less commonly, ALL will relapse in the central nervous system (CNS; the brain and spinal fluid) or, in boys, in the testicles, without any bone marrow involvement.
Users of all drugs are susceptible to relapse, and a person who engages in dysfunctional thoughts or behaviors will be vulnerable to relapse, regardless of their primary drug of choice.
Stage Four: Action/Willpower
It generally lasts about 6 months, but it can literally be as short as one hour! This is a stage when people most depend on their own willpower. They are making overt efforts to change the behavior and are at greatest risk for relapse.