Information provided in the “Ask the Doctors” column is not meant to take the place of individual consultation with a qualified health care provider. See your health care provider to discuss specific questions about your health, medication and treatment plan.

Question: Due to the recurring nature of depression, how should I go about making future plans?

Martha Manning, Ph.D.: The fear of recurrence is something many people with depression never quite get rid of. There is nothing in this world more humbling than getting knocked down, especially when you’re doing good things like following your treatment plan, pursuing your career goals and connecting with people socially.

The hardest thing for many of us is having to accept that depression can be a recurrent illness. As for making future plans, my motto is the same as the Scouts’: Be prepared. Ask yourself: What are my backup plans? What do I do if I feel like I’m slipping? Who do I tell? How will I know when I’m having a rough time? Where do I find a support group? How much should I take on? Consider each of these questions carefully and discuss them with your doctors and the supportive people in your life. Ask yourself where your trouble spots have been in the past and how you can avoid them or protect yourself in the future.

It can be hard to think ahead about depression at the beginning of a hopeful, wonderful time. You are certainly not doomed to have a depressive episode again, especially if you have, and adhere to, a good treatment plan. But be sure to have a backup plan and be ready to put it into place if necessary.

Frederick Goodwin, M.D.: Recurrent forms of unipolar depression are close cousins of bipolar disorder. Some clinicians are now prescribing maintenance mood stabilizers for people with cyclical, recurrent depression, rather than maintenance antidepressants, to prevent recurrence.

Martha Manning, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and author. Her work includes Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface, an account of her own experience with depression (available from the DBSA Bookstore), and The Common Thread: Mothers, Daughters and the Power of Empathy. She works frequently with DBSA in educational and advocacy efforts.