Starting an antidepressant often comes with two competing emotions: relief that you’re finally getting help, and frustration that you don’t see improvement immediately. Many adults begin treatment hoping they’ll feel noticeably better within days. When that doesn’t happen, it’s easy to assume the medication is failing, or worse, that nothing will help at all. But antidepressant treatment rarely works that quickly. One of the most important parts of antidepressant management i