Not necessarily. I had a relapse in 2012. It was easier for me to regain my footing than with the initial recovery. I'm not sure why it was so much easier the second time around. It just was for me, maybe because I was finally on the right psych meds? I'd long been misdiagnosed with major depression, which was later changed to bipolar. I also had a psychiatrist I trusted a lot more the 2nd time around.