This question can be answered from two aspects,
One is what extent is considered recovery. If it’s just the disappearance of symptoms. I think many times in life we don’t show any symptoms, does that count as recovery? Obviously, this is not considered recovery.
Some people have not displayed symptoms for several years, but at some point, they reappear, does this count as recovery?
Just like a cold, many times the fever goes away, but then it comes back, so all of these cannot be considered as recovery.
On the other hand, we do see many patients slowly getting better without treatment. This also exists.
Some people get better after a period of time, while others have not recovered for ten or several decades. Each individual’s situation is different.
Even so, we still encourage you to participate in exercises, to practice more yourself.
Why?
Because for the vast majority of depression patients, psychological therapy is very necessary. You can think of it this way, if you can get better without practice, then practicing will make you get better faster.
So, how to proceed specifically?
Here is a quote from Professor Li Hongfu’s book “Overcoming Depression”:
But if your depression has already progressed to severe impact on normal life, work, and social function, with clear physical symptoms and you can’t break free, then seeking professional help or treatment is necessary. Enduring and avoiding will only make your depression worse and lead to symptom generalization!”
