8 Common Depression Triggers & How to Cope With Them

What Is a Depression Trigger?

A depression trigger is an internal or external circumstance that can initiate or intensify depressive symptoms in an individual. A trigger can be a sight, sound, or smell, but it could also be the anniversary of a difficult event. Sometimes, there are hidden triggers, and one may not be fully sure what caused this depressive episode.

Triggers affect everyone differently, and something that triggers one person might not trigger their family or friends. The amount of coping skills an individual has, unique vulnerability and resilience factors, and their unique genetic and environmental factors all impact how a person may respond to depression triggers.

Depression triggers can be:

• Internal triggers: Anything within a person’s body that changes their internal emotional or physical state is an internal trigger. Past traumas, negative thought patterns, and chemical or hormonal imbalances are all examples of internal triggers.
• External triggers: An external trigger is anything outside of a person and their control, usually environmental factors that contribute to exacerbating depressive symptoms. Substance abuse, stressful life events, chronic illness, and difficult interpersonal relationships are all possible external depression triggers.

8 Common Triggers for Depression

Often, people who have experienced depression before have more awareness surrounding their depression and are less surprised to see depressive symptoms show up. Those who have never experienced depression might not know about depression triggers and may have a harder time identifying depressive symptoms for what they are.

Here are eight common triggers for depression:

1. Medication Changes

Some medications have depression listed as a possible side effect, so if a person who is prone to depression recently added or changed a medication, they should check with their doctor about whether depression could potentially be triggered by it. A new medication, such as birth control pills, could trigger depressive symptoms.¹

If an individual is taking an antidepressant, dosage changes or changes to a new type of medication can trigger depression as well. Missing any doses can also impact depressive symptoms. Particularly in youth populations, certain antidepressants can increase the risk of suicidality.

2. Shifts in Season

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a  type of depression where seasonal shifts, especially those that result in changing the amount of daylight hours, can cause mood changes. The symptoms of SAD mimic those of major depression, including loss of interest in activities a person once enjoyed, low energy, difficulty with sleep, and feeling depressed most of the time on most days.²

People who have a history of depression are more susceptible to SAD. While SAD is most commonly seen during the winter months, it can appear during any of the seasons. Winter-pattern SAD includes symptoms of oversleeping, overeating, weight gain, and social withdrawal, while summer-pattern SAD is more related to difficulty sleeping, decreased appetite, restlessness, and anxiety.

3. Stress

Ongoing stress from work, relationships, or other sources can trigger depression over time. Think of a person’s capacity for stress as a cup of water. If they keep pouring stress into it, the cup will eventually overflow. When all of someone’s energy is wrapped up in managing that overflowing cup, there’s nothing left for them. It’s easy to see how this could trigger depression and cause them to stop enjoying things they once did, feel low in energy, and start having feelings of emptiness.

4. Grief & Loss

Grief resulting from loss, such as divorce or the death of a loved one, can trigger depression for individuals already at risk. It is important to note that not all sadness that results from grief can be classified as depression. Grief crosses over to depression when the feelings of sadness are constant rather than intermittent, when a person has trouble participating in activities of daily living, or when they start viewing themselves as worthless.

5. Rumination

Rumination, or dwelling on negative feelings and distress and their causes and consequences, can trigger depression.³ Often, a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are all intertwined. If their thoughts are stuck on the negative, it can trigger negative feelings and depressive behaviors such as social withdrawal.

6. Unhealthy Lifestyle

An unhealthy lifestyle, including sleep, exercise, and nutrition, can trigger depression. Poor sleep can cause depression, and depression can cause poor sleep.⁴ Research also shows that eating processed foods can contribute to depressive symptoms.⁵ Finally, a lack of exercise can potentially worsen a person’s depression.⁶

7. Trauma Anniversaries

Anniversaries of traumas can trigger depression or exacerbate existing depressive symptoms because they can bring back vivid memories and emotions associated with the traumatic event. This can lead to a resurgence of intense and distressing feelings, including fear, sadness, anger, and helplessness, as well as trigger PTSD flashbacks and intrusive thoughts, all of which can contribute to depressive symptoms.

8. Hormone Changes

Changes in hormones can trigger depression. Hormone changes are most prominent during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Hormone changes can also be related to thyroid functioning, so it’s important to have a primary doctor check for any physiological causes of depression.⁷

Hormone changes after birth can result in postpartum depression. This is most common in women, although men can experience postpartum depression as well. Postpartum depression lasts longer than the “baby blues” and includes difficulty sleeping, moodiness, and excessive crying.

Can Depression Triggers Be Prevented?

Life is full of unexpected challenges, and not all stressors can be eliminated. It’s important to recognize that some triggers, such as genetic predisposition to depression and certain biological factors, may not be preventable. The impact generated on an individual can be mitigated through coping skills, social support, and lifestyle management.

Even if a person has had depression in the past, future depression triggers can’t always be prevented. Still, they can learn to anticipate the triggers and gain new coping strategies in order to manage the triggers differently. While the body’s response to depression triggers may always feel overwhelming, with proper treatment and coping skills, an individual does not have to remain stuck in the triggered feeling.

Ways to Cope With Depression Triggers

While depression triggers can feel emotionally insurmountable, there are coping skills a person can implement to make their trigger experiences more manageable. Lifestyle management, staying involved in their social life and support system, practicing mindfulness and self-compassion, and reducing the use of substances are all ways to support someone’s mental health if their depressive symptoms have been triggered.

Here are some tips for how to cope with depression triggers:

• Exercise: Regular exercise has been shown to improve depression. Start with small, manageable activities like walking, swimming, or yoga, and gradually increase the intensity as you feel comfortable.  Even as little as 3 sessions of exercise per week has shown benefits in depression symptoms.⁶
• Schedule a routine: Depression can disrupt daily routines, making it important to establish and maintain a structured daily schedule. You may want to try a method called time blocking, where you allocate dedicated, uninterrupted periods for tasks, group similar activities, and stick to your schedule as closely as possible. Apps like RescueTime are great tools to utilize when using time blocking.
• Write about thoughts and feelings: Writing down your thoughts and feelings can provide a release and help you gain insights into your emotional state. If you do not know where to begin, try utilizing journal prompts targeted for depression. Writing can also be a useful tool to track your mood and identify patterns.
• Practice self-compassion: Be kind and patient with yourself. Try a self-compassion exercise such as Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Break, where you acknowledge your suffering, recognize it as a common human experience, and offer yourself kindness.⁸
• Stay involved: Connect with friends and family who can offer emotional support. Sharing your feelings and experiences with trusted individuals can provide comfort and understanding.
• Sleep well: Set regular sleep and wake times, as sleep patterns can significantly impact mood. Additionally, focus on improving your sleep hygiene by buying blackout shades and charging your phone outside of your bedroom.
• Reduce substance use: Substance use such as alcohol can exacerbate depression symptoms. Try to limit or avoid alcohol and drug use, and seek professional help if you have substance abuse issues.
• Eat well: Eat a balanced diet with a focus on depression-friendly foods, as nutrition plays a role in mental health. Avoid excessive consumption of processed and sugary foods.
• Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness, meditations for depression, yogic breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation can help you manage stress and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

Treatment Options for Depression

Treating depression is not hopeless. There are many depression treatment options, and a good therapist will tailor their treatment to a person’s specific personality and symptoms. A typical comprehensive treatment plan will likely include a variety of methods as well as some practices for them to implement outside of sessions in order to have the most successful possible outcome.

Treatment options for depression include:

• Psychodynamic therapy: Psychodynamic therapy explores unconscious thoughts and feelings that may contribute to depression. It delves into a person’s past experiences, relationships, and unresolved conflicts to gain insight into the root causes of depressive symptoms so that they can work through them and achieve emotional healing.
• Medications: There are several medications for depression that can help alleviate symptoms. Typically, medication and psychotherapy combined are the most effective treatment for depression.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT for depression focuses on identifying and changing cognitive distortions and behaviors that contribute to depression. It helps an individual learn to recognize automatic negative thoughts and develop strategies to challenge and reframe them.
• Interpersonal therapy (IPT): IPT focuses on improving interpersonal relationships and addressing social conflicts that may contribute to depression. It helps an individual to identify problematic patterns in their relationships, communicate more effectively, and make changes to improve their social support system.
• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT): MBCT combines elements of mindfulness meditation with principles from CBT to teach individuals to become more aware of their thoughts and emotions, develop a non-judgmental attitude, and learn to respond to negative thoughts and feelings in a healthier way.
• Behavioral activation (BA): Behavioral activation is a component of CBT that specifically focuses on increasing engagement in positive and pleasurable activities, which, over time, can improve mood and increase motivation. It acknowledges the relationship between depression and reduced activity levels and helps a person to identify and schedule enjoyable activities, even when they don’t feel motivated, to counteract depressive symptoms.

When to Seek Professional Support

Seeking professional help for depression is essential when someone is experiencing symptoms that interfere with daily life, well-being, and overall functioning. Depression is a treatable condition, and early intervention can significantly improve outcomes. Some signs that indicate it’s time to consider seeking professional help for depression include significant distress or hopelessness, social isolation, changes in sleep or appetite, self-harm, or thoughts of suicide.

An online therapist directory can be a helpful tool for finding the right therapist who specializes in depression treatment. Therapy can be provided both in person as well as via an online therapy platform. If medication would be helpful, one may also choose to find a psychiatrist, which can be either in person or search for online psychiatrist options for depression medication management.

In My Experience

Triggers for depression feel out of control, but they can be managed. Implementing coping skills and making use of a personal safety plan in the event of possible self-harming behaviors are paramount to attending to your triggers. Remember to be kind to yourself. Depression is not your fault, and you’re doing the best you can. It’s important to keep in mind that recovery from depression is a process, and there may be ups and downs along the way. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small it may seem, and don’t be too hard on yourself during setbacks