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Psychotherapy works, and some types of therapy have been shown to be much more effective than antidepressants over the long run.

The other thing is that if you rely solely on medication to manage depression or anxiety, for example, you have done nothing to train the mind, so that when you come off the medication, you are just as vulnerable to a relapse as though you had never taken the medication.

Depression is something that doesn't just go away. It's just... there and you deal with it. It's like... malaria or something. Maybe it won't be cured, but you've got to take the medication you're prescribed, and you stay out of situations that are going to trigger it.

To someone who is not currently on anti-depressants, I would suggest trying other treatments first - for example, psychotherapy.

Sufferers of depression have 'episodes' the same way those who suffer from multiple sclerosis do. It comes, wipes the floor with you, and then somehow returns you to the world. But it comes back.

Unfortunately, I think depression and anxiety are really hard to live with. And what people don't need is to feel bad about themselves because they decide to go on medication.

There seems little reason to prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients.

I do suffer from depression, I suppose. Which isn't that unusual. You know, a lot of people do.

I always thought I was depressive, and I only recently realized that I have more of an anxiety disorder than chronic depression.