I also found medication extremely helpful. I had no motivation to do the things I enjoyed in the past, because they were meaningless. I couldn't achieve anything in my day & had no motivation to do all the things people would tell me to do to lift the depression--like exercise, get out of the house, keep a schedule, etc. That just made me feel worse about myself. I was then not only depressed, but felt lazy. I had to have medication pull me out of it. Then I could start practicing the self-care that improved my quality of life. There is hope. We can all attest to that.--Suzy