Baseer Maroof, LCSW · Raleigh, NC · Adults 21+
Staying well
Getting better is half the job. Here’s how to notice the early slide and act before it picks up speed.
In short
- Depression often comes back, so a plan for the early signs is part of treatment, not an extra.
- Your early signs are personal: sleep, withdrawal, self-talk, routines slipping.
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy lowered relapse risk by about 31% in pooled trial data.
- Keep doing what got you well: activity, connection, sleep, and treatment until your clinician says otherwise.
The basicsWhat helpsHow it worksEvidenceCheck with a doctor
Your warning signs
My early warning signs
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Keeping well
MBCT
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy teaches you to notice the first slide in mood and thinking and step out of it. In pooled data from 9 trials (1,258 people), it lowered relapse risk over 60 weeks compared with other approaches (HR 0.69). (Kuyken 2016)
Medication
If an antidepressant helped, don’t stop it on your own once you feel better. Plan when and how with your prescriber.
Stay active
Keep a few planned activities going even when you feel well. Exercise has its own evidence. (Noetel 2024)
Sources
All sources, linked3 references⌄
- Kuyken W et al. (2016). Efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in prevention of depressive relapse: an individual patient data meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(6), 565–574. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27119968/
- Noetel M et al. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ, 384, e075847. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10870815/
- National Institute of Mental Health (2024). Depression (brochure). www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression
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