I think a lot of people have the impression that depression meds change a person's personality and character and they don't. When you have a headache, you take an aspirin and you don't have a headache. AD's are sort of like that. They're not "happy pills" they don't make you happier or better able to solve problems you may have in your life or make sadness "go away" in some fashion so it doesn't matter that your significant other has left you or you've lost your job, etc. They just make the headache go away so you can concentrate on solving the problems in your life. Yes you can "struggle through" depressive episodes and be "strong" but you can do the same with headaches too but we don't because that's kind of idiotic? I'll suffer through a headache for a bit to try and see where it's coming from so I can fix the problem (poor eating, sleeping posture, med side effect, etc) but then I take an Advil or drink water/eat well (if its dietary or dehydration-related) and get on with my life.