Depression Attacks: 8 Steps To Cope With Sudden Depression And Anxiety
Sometimes events affect you unexpectedly, bringing on a sudden attack of depression or anxiety. For example, perhaps you are making lifestyle changes, starting or ending a relationship, beginning a new weight loss regimen, or taking a new career path, and your state of mind takes an abrupt downturn. Perhaps you have noticed changes in your mood, such as increased worry and anxiety or low mood, and you don’t understand why. If so, you may be experiencing an episode of depression or anxiety. Below, we’ll explore the symptoms of depression and anxiety and strategies you can use to address these conditions.
8 steps you can take to manage sudden anxiety and depression
- Stay Calm: Feeling a sudden bout of depression or anxiety can be frightening. Doing whatever you can to stay calm may help you focus on what triggered the event and how to feel better. If possible, you might take a break from everyday activities, breathe deeply, and remember that the symptoms of these episodes are temporary.
- Distract Yourself: Distraction through humor, exercise, and positive socializing can reduce feelings of sudden anxiety and depression.
- Practice Self-Acceptance: A sudden change in mood can lead some people to be hard on themselves. However, accepting that you feel depressed or anxious may help you overcome the experience and seek help.
- Engage In Self-Care: Self-care includes eating healthy foods, getting sufficient sleep, taking hot baths, and connecting with others who support you. Self-care can help you stay as healthy as possible while you address the symptoms of depression or anxiety.
- Challenge negative thinking: Often, when we are depressed or anxious, we engage in negative thought patterns, such as telling ourselves we are a failure or won’t ever feel good again. By challenging negative thoughts, you may find that you can reduce their impact and focus on getting to a more positive place.
- Exercise: Physical activity often helps relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety. Exercise can include walking, jogging, practicing yoga, swimming, biking, or practicing martial arts. Exercise can reduce stress and help you relax.
- Avoid Alcohol, Drugs, and Caffeine: The effects of alcohol, recreational drugs, and caffeine can contribute to symptoms of depression and anxiety. If you are experiencing an adverse change in mood, avoiding these substances may help you feel better.
- Reach Out For Help: Therapists use several forms of talk therapy to help people overcome depression and anxiety. Reaching out to a mental health professional is often an effective method for overcoming a sudden attack of depression or anxiety.
It is okay to admit when you're experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety. Recognizing a problem is the first step to finding a solution. It can feel overwhelming if this is the first time you're experiencing an episode of depression or anxiety, but it can help to remember that this is not your fault and that you’re not alone. It can also be helpful to understand the symptoms of depression and anxiety as you seek solutions.
Identifying the symptoms of depression and anxiety
Depression is more than just sadness. According to the American Psychiatric Association, the symptoms of depression include:
- Persistent sadness lasting longer than two weeks
- Unexplained low energy levels, fatigue, and tiredness
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities
- Weight gain or loss or appetite changes
- Decrease in mental focus
- Changes in sleep habits, such as difficulty sleeping, insomnia or excessive sleep
- Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or helplessness
- Drug or alcohol use
- Memory problems
- Physical complaints, such as headaches, body pains, and digestive problems
- Thoughts of self-harm or suicide
Anxiety symptoms may accompany a depressive episode or exist on their own. People with anxiety may experience the following symptoms:
- Irritability
- Anticipation of negative outcomes
- Tense feelings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Hypervigilance
- Tingling sensations
- Racing thoughts
- Chest pain
Physical anxiety symptoms can include sweating, muscle tension, diarrhea or upset stomach, unexplained aches and pains, insomnia, a pounding heartbeat, shaking, dizziness, and shortness of breath, and panic attacks.
Understanding what causes sudden depression and anxiety
There are many possible reasons why anxiety or depression occurs suddenly. An anxiety or depression attack may be due to experiencing a traumatic event, a sudden loss of a job or loved one, or a significant change, such as giving birth, which can cause postpartum depression. During pregnancy and childbirth, the brain undergoes increased production of many hormones, which can result in depression. The symptoms might seem sudden, but your brain chemistry may have been changing over time in response to stress.
Sometimes sudden changes in your mood can result from stress in daily life. High levels of stress can impact your mental health, cause a panic attack, and contribute to a greater risk of physical illnesses, including heart disease and heart attack. In addition, stress can also come from healthy lifestyle changes, such as making dietary changes or quitting smoking. Further, women experiencing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can experience depression symptoms due to hormonal changes that occur during this time. In addition, some people experience depression when they have a chronic physical illness, such as cancer.
Mood changes can also result from variations in weather patterns, such as when there is a lack of sunshine or when there is cold weather in winter. Some people experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD) when sunlight is limited.
Some people may not have a clear trigger event for how depression or anxiety started. Some can complete daily activities and communicate with others even if they feel depressed or anxious. However, untreated depression and anxiety can progress into a more severe mental illness. You can take action when noticing any changes, especially if they last longer than two weeks or you experience thoughts of self-harm.
Talking about your feelings may help
As hard as it may be to open up to someone, it may bring relief to get emotional support for your feelings. In addition, gaining insight from a trusted friend or family member can help put your situation into perspective. If you don't know someone with whom you feel comfortable talking, consider consulting a doctor or a mental health professional.
Treatment options for depression and anxiety
When left untreated, depression and anxiety can worsen and affect your overall well-being. You may benefit from seeing a mental health professional as soon as possible to obtain a diagnosis and receive the appropriate treatment to overcome depression symptoms that last longer than two weeks. Studies have shown that medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of these are practical options for relieving symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Online therapy through a platform such as BetterHelp is a convenient, flexible choice for treating symptoms of sudden anxiety and depression. Research shows online therapy is as effective as seeing a therapist in person for many mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
In addition, online therapy is often more convenient than in-person sessions because you can often connect with a therapist via audio, video, and in-app messaging without taking time out of your life to commute to an office.
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Takeaway
What does a sudden depression mean?
An individual may experience a sudden depressive episode in response to a traumatic life experience such as a major loss or change.
Is there such a thing as sudden onset depression?
Yes, a person may experience a sudden depression for any number of reasons. Traumatic life changes such as divorce, death, or loss can bring on symptoms. As can pregnancy and childbirth. Postpartum depression can occur due to hormonal changes as well as the huge life change of becoming a parent.
How long does sudden depression last?
The timing of depression can be different for everyone. The key to a brief major depressive episode is to seek depression treatment right away. There are effective ways to treat depression available, and when you leave depression untreated there can be negative consequences. In certain cases, untreated depression can lead to substance abuse (self-medication), disrupted relationships, and self-harm.
What causes random spurts of depression?
Both biological factors (such as hormonal changes) and environmental factors (such as trauma) can be causes of a sudden depressive episode.
Is sudden sadness normal?
It can be. In cases of change, sudden feelings of sadness can occur. They may even occur at unexpected times, as the reactions to trauma can be delayed. For example, if you lose someone you may be able to cope with the loss for a period of time and feel like you have everything together. However, you may find that months down the road you start crying all the time and experience feelings of extreme sadness.
What is a sudden mental breakdown?
A mental breakdown is a reaction to trauma. In some cases of trauma or extreme stress, you may find that you are able to power through for a while without negative consequence. Then suddenly your mental health takes a sharp downward turn. You may find that it becomes difficult to focus, notice racing or intrusive thoughts, feelings of extreme sadness, or physical symptoms. In some cases, you may have suicidal ideation or thoughts of self-harm. SAMHSA’s national helpline offers 24-7 information for treatment help. For crisis help, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline any time day or night to speak to a volunteer.
How do you deal with sudden sadness?
There are several ways you can cope with sudden sadness. Emotional support from close friends and loved ones can help. You may also choose to seek professional help from a therapist to talk through your feelings. Healthy lifestyle habits and self-care practices can also be useful in decreasing sadness. This includes things like regular exercise, a balanced and healthy eating plan, getting outside, and mindfulness activities like meditation or deep breathing.
What often triggers depression?
There are different triggers for depression. Sometimes it can be purely biological, like a hormonal change. Other times it can be some sort of life change like death of a loved one, a serious break up, or losing a job. In some cases (like postpartum depression) it can be a combination of both.
Is depression sudden or gradual?
It can be either or both. Some people with depression have lived with it their whole life, and may have recurring episodes. Others may be hit suddenly with a period of depression caused by some sort of trauma, hormonal change, or illness.
Will depression end on its own?
It may or may not, depending on the severity of the depression. People living with depression don’t have to live with these symptoms however, because depression is an extremely treatable condition.
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