Hey. It is controversial with respect to whether anti-depressants have a preventative effect on depressive episodes or not...

What that means... Is that maybe even if your t had continued taking the medication your t still might have had a depressive episode...

We also don't know what the long term effects of medications are...

I would say that it is your decision whether you want to continue taking them or not. Sure, you might have an episode sometime in your future... But then you might have an episode sometime in your future even if you do continue taking them. You might never have another one and say 'gee wow the meds helped' but the fact is that you might never have another one even if you stop taking the meds.

I guess I'm wary because we simply don't know what the long term effects of medications are...

Sounds to me...

Like your t has beliefs about what helped them (meds) and they are thinking that... You are just like them hence you need meds too...

Dunno

Something to think about