Can depression go away without treatment?

It depends what you mean by treatment. Many cases of depression are ‘mild’. Often the best ‘treatment’ for them is exercise, sleep, healthy lifestyle behaviours, and staying engaged in life. Many of these cases will improve over a four to eight week period with this approach. 
If things dont get better them it is best to sek professional help. In some cases things may seem to get better on their own over a longer perdiod to time, but it is more likley that something positive has happened.
One reason depression may need professional help is because the things that cause depression are often different from those that maintain it. A break-up may start a depressive epsiode, for example, but negative thinking and avoidance may keep it going. A professional, such as a Clinical Psychologist, has the training to identify what is maintaining the problem, and help you work on that.      

Depression Among the Elderly  Eric Rosario
As people grow older they tend to experience changes both physical and physiological which have consequences that are psychological. One of these outcomes is Depression, which is said to be the most common mental disorder in Australia. What is more depression doubles the chances of having a heart attack (Tickle 2004).
In this paper I will discuss, the differences in the causes of depression between men and women as they age, the effects of strength training on depression and will compare the results with those achieved by various types of medication and psychotherapy.
The causes of depression in this age group could be genetic, biological and environmental. Studies done with identical twins and within families show that the problem runs in families. (About.com).
On the other hand there is evidence to suggest that there is a strong biological basis. One of the changes in the human body is the fluctuation in the hormones in the brain, especially Serotonin. This fluctuation can cause mood swings and severe depression which can wreak havoc in a person’s life. Hormone Fluctuations May Be Responsible for many mood disturbances in women. This hormonal factor is most noticed in Menopause (ScienceDaily 2007).Menopause and Depression.It is estimated the between 8% and 15% of postmenopausal women suffer from depression. Very often the problem strikes during peri-menopause, the phase before menopause. The cause of menopausal depression has not been quite established but the theories propounded at the moment are:

• The symptoms of menopause stress the woman enough to cause depression.
  
• The balance between estrogen and progesterone is linked with the brain and causes variation in moods. (Cabot).
  
• Sleep patterns are affected and in turn cause depression.
  
• When a woman is going through menopause she is often faced with children leaving home, ageing parents and a feeling of loss of woman hood because she can no longer bear children (Wells C 1985)
  
• Women who have surgical menopause have a sudden drop in hormone levels and are more likely to suffer depression.
  
• Women are also at a greater risk of depression during menopause if they have a history of mood disorders.
  
• Smokers and those with young children are more likely to suffer depression during menopause. (Epigee Women’s Health).
  

Depression Among MenThe drop in hormone levels in men is not as dramatic as in women and therefore depression among older men has different causes.
Many men make their work the whole reason for their existence and when they retire they feel worthless and without a purpose in life. This is especially true if they have held a position of great responsibility with control over a large number of staff. Their children at the stage of their retirement are also no longer dependant on them and don’t often follow their bidding. This leads to a feeling of helplessness (NIMH).
 
How can you prevent depression after retirement?

• Lead a balanced lifestyle and cultivate interests outside of work.
  
• Don’t wait until retirement to plan what to do with your time. Plan ahead.
  
• Prevent isolation by getting involved in activities where you can socialise and meet people with the same interests or in a similar position.
  

If you are concerned that you may be suffering from depression, seek help as soon as possible.
Symptoms of depression.

• Persistent sad, anxious or empty mood
  
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
  
• Loss of pleasure or interest in ordinary activities
  
• Problems with sleep (sleeping too much or too little)
  
• Loss of appetite or overeating
  
• Decreased energy
  
• Restlessness or irritability
  
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions
  
• Inappropriate feelings of guilt
  
• Thoughts of death or suicide
  

• (Ilse Pauw, health24)
  

TreatmentMedicationWhen women present with depression at the time of menopause they are often treated with oestrogen replacement because it is surmised that if the cause of the problem is loss of oestrogen then bolstering the oestrogen level will solve the problem. Antidepressants may also be used but these tend to have side effects like loss of balance (Singh).
However, this is not the only way of attacking the problem. Strength training has been shown to have a beneficial effect on depression .
Strength Training and Depression
There are several theories with regard to how exercise can help depression. Some suggest that exercise could be a means of blocking our negative thoughts, or distract a person from their worries. Others think that it could be an increase in self esteem that will be the reason for reducing depression. (Singh et al 1997).  It could also be that exercise produces a helpful biochemical change in the brain. It is most likely a combination of several factors.
Although the effects of exercise on depression has been well documented Dr Nalin Singh a gerontologist, is of the opinion that whereas walking or jogging around the block can have beneficial effects, heavy strength training is the ultimate in exercise treatment for depression. The evidence seems to be that when older adults participate in strength training, their self-confidence and self-esteem improve, and this has a strong impact on their overall quality of life. He suggests that for exercise to gain Results, it must be Regular and Rigorous and recommends that the intensity of the training should be around 80%.of 1RM and the large muscle groups like legs, back and buttocks should be targeted.
Singh is of the opinion that strength training is at least as efficient as medication without suffering the side effects. He found that many antidepressants can affect the balance of our older citizens. In  a study he conducted at Tufts University on 32 volunteers who suffered from chronic depression half the group performed strength training and the others received health information. After three months, 14 of the 16 members who weight trained no longer met the criteria for depression, while there was no significant change in the non-strength training group (Singh 2004).
It has been pretty well established that poor sleep and depression is closely interconnected
(O’Brien 2003), and it has also been demonstrated that Strength Training has a soporific effect often as efficient as medication (Medicine and Science 2001). The popular theory today is that depression is caused by low brain levels of Serotonin and Norepinepherine. The medications such as Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac which are used to treat depression are expected to raise these neurotransmitters. Medications which contain T3 a hormone which is derived from its precursor hormone T4 are also prescribed for depression either on its own or in combination with antidepressants. It is however, possible to raise the level of these thyroid hormone in the blood stream by means of exercise rather than medication.
In a pilot study done by the author in 1997 he studied the effects of the squat and bench press on the serum blood levels of thyroid hormones both T3 and T4. . both these hormones increased substantially with both these exercises.
  From Theory to Practice
In this study four menopausal women were asked to come into the gym and rest for half an hour after which a blood sample was taken from one arm. They were then asked to do six sets of twenty repetitions in the squat with five minutes rest in between sets. The first two sets of 20 reps were used as a warm up while the next four sets were as heavy as possible to allow for approximately 20 reps. Immediately these sets were over blood was taken from the other arm and a butterfly clip was placed on the outlet. Blood was again harvested after 15 mins and 30 mins. All four subjects showed a significant increase in both T3 and T4 at the first harvest. At the second harvest there was a further increase in both hormones while at the third two plateaued while the other two showed a slight increase. 
Conclusion: This increase in T3 could be one of the reason why Dr Singh found that exercise at 80% of 1 RM helped reduce depression.References:Cabot Sandra  Don’t Let Your Hormones Ruin Your Life.Depression in Older Men, Boys and Adolescent Males
by National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)Hormone Fluctuations May Be Responsible For Many Mood Disturbances In Women(ScienceDaily Dec. 3, 2007)O’Brien J webcast on August 21, 2003
Singh N Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 33:532 2001
Singh Nalin  Radio National —The Sports Factor 21/ 05/ 2004
Wells C Women, Sport and Performance 1985. Human Kinetics Publishers Inc Champaign, Illinois.