Would you rather know how long your depression will last?

There are several of us here who've been locked into long running episodes of depression and for me the longer the episode lasts, the harder it is to believe that I'll ever get better and the more I lose sight that I've ever been anything other than depressed.

So would I rather know that this episode was going to last 13 months, 18 months, 2 years, 5 years.....?

Yes, 13 months would be fine, because I've already been depressed for 12.5 months, so the thought that in 2 weeks I'll be OK would be the best news ever! If I thought I'd still got to get through another 6 months or a year then I think I'd be relieved because I'm more than half way there, but could I live with the knowledge that my depression would last (unremitting and at its current intensity) for another 4 years?

The loss of hope that I'll ever recover is a big feature for me right now, so knowing that I would recover albeit a long way down the line does seem like a better option than waking each morning and facing another grim day of uncertainty.