What Is Situational Depression?

Many types of depression exist; one type is situational depression. Situational depression symptoms can include feelings of anxiety, major depression, and unhappiness following a stressful event.

However, situational depression is not an official mental health diagnosis. It's classified as an adjustment disorder—specifically, an adjustment disorder with depressed mood. Adjustment disorders, which are official diagnoses, make adjusting difficult after experiencing trauma or a dramatic change in day-to-day life. Here's more about situational depression, including the main symptoms, how it's treated, and how long it lasts.

Situational Depression Symptoms

Several types of adjustment disorders exist in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), including adjustment disorder with anxiety, adjustment disorder with depressed mood (situational depression), and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood.

Signs a person may be experiencing an adjustment disorder with depressed mood, or situational depression, include:

• Anxiety, possibly expressed as nervousness, tension, or trembling. If you only experience anxiety, you may be diagnosed with adjustment disorder with anxiety, or situational anxiety.
• Defiance or impulsive behavior
• Skipping heartbeats or other bodily symptoms
• Unhappiness and crying

These symptoms should be more severe than would be expected following the stressor. Situational depression may also be severe enough for a person to have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide. Also, other mental health diagnoses should not be responsible for the symptoms.

What Causes Situational Depression?

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop situational depression. However, events that could lead to situational depression include:

• Death of a loved one
• Divorce, a romantic breakup, or other relationship problems
• Loss of a job
• Money worries
• Moves to a new home or location
  
• A significant diagnosis of illness or surgery
• Unexpected disasters

Risk Factors

Some risk factors identified by research for adjustment disorders include:

• Current or previous exposure to trauma, including injuries
• Female sex assignment at birth
• History of a mental health disorder
• Job loss or lack of a full-time job
• Loneliness
• Lower self-efficacy
• Stressful life events
  

Situational vs. Clinical Depression

Clinical depression, called major depression disorder in the DSM-5, is a mood disorder that affects a person's everyday functioning for at least two weeks. Like situational depression, clinical depression can occur following a stressful event.

Situational and clinical depression also overlap when it comes to a few symptoms. Both conditions share feelings of sadness or hopelessness and possible withdrawal from others.

You wouldn't receive the diagnosis termed "situational depression" from a provider using the DSM-5 as you would with clinical depression. Instead, your diagnosis would fall under an adjustment disorder.

Also, clinical depression requires you to have symptoms for at least two weeks straight for a diagnosis. Symptoms of situational depression should show up within three months of exposure to a stressful or traumatic event and generally last no more than six months.

Treatments for Situational Depression

There are two goals for treating situational depression. One is symptom relief, and the other is a return to the level of functioning you had before experiencing a stressful or traumatic event. Possible treatment options include self-care, therapy, and medications.

Self-Care

If you experience situational depression, self-care is beneficial and important. It is based on:

• Mindfulness: Mindfulness is a way for a person to pay more attention to how they feel on the inside and the world around them. By practicing mindfulness, you can help reduce stress and feelings related to the stress. For example, you can spend time doing activities you enjoy when time allows instead of focusing on the stress.
• Personal safety: Knowing you or your loved ones are safe can help you process stress or trauma. If there's no way for you to gain immediate safety, you can talk with a healthcare provider or mental health professional for guidance on what to do.
• Physical health: Stress and trauma can put your physical health at risk. Healthy eating, quality sleep, and adequate exercise are all potential ways to protect your health.

Therapy

Like many other types of depression, situational depression can be treated with mental health counseling or psychotherapy, also called talk therapy. "Often people who have situational depression know something is wrong, and they look for help, and they respond better to counseling and talk about their experiences," Greg Simon, MD, MPH, a Washington-based psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente, told Health.

Medications

Some medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might be prescribed for an adjustment disorder. They can be more helpful if someone has an anxiety or depressive disorder. In either case for talk therapy or medications, more research is necessary to determine their effectiveness for an adjustment disorder.

Prevention

Adjustment disorders and depression—situational or not—aren't always preventable. It's also hard to predict who will experience an adjustment disorder. Still, some ways to potentially prevent an adjustment disorder like situational depression include:

• Building and having a social support network
• Engaging in self-care practices
• Learning and using coping skills

Complications

An adjustment disorder typically doesn't last more than six months. However, an adjustment disorder can lead to other mental health conditions. Those conditions include:

• Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
• Major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Substance use disorder
  

When To Contact a Healthcare Provider

Talk to a healthcare provider if you have symptoms of situational depression or depression in general. See a provider, call emergency services, or talk to someone using the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are having suicidal thoughts.

A Quick Review

Many people experience depression, but situational depression is a specific type of this mental health condition. It refers to feelings of sadness following a traumatic event in a person's life, such as a job loss, the death of a loved one, or a serious illness diagnosis.

Situational depression is similar to clinical depression in some ways, and the treatments for both conditions can be the same. If you think you have symptoms of situational depression, consult a healthcare provider or mental health professional.