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Genevieve said:If your depression is situational, you probably don't *need* drugs -- although they will kickstart your recovery -- you need psychotherapy. Therapy will help you learn to cope with situations that come up, and head many of them off.

On the other hand, if your depression has a more biological basis, which doesn't mean that it isn't triggered by a situation, just that it isn't only a specific situation that you're not coping with well -- then medications are probably necessary to help you avoid repeated relapses.

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Interesting stuff. I just got finished reading this psychopharm textbook (snooze) and the authors claim that if the depression is "situational" or caused by some definite biological problem, then meds shouldn't be prescribed unless therapy doesn't help. Only if no biological cause or sitautional cause can be found should meds be used first.

And this was written by psychiatrist/researchers who work for the drug companies! I re-read it twice because I was sure I had misunderstood what they were saying.I was shocked. In any case, I don't know any MD's that follow those guidelines.