>>Don't bag it until you try it.

That is true, and as I said before, excersize can be very helpful. But don't dismiss that everyone's depression is different, the causes can be very different, and therefore some people may have indeed tried it and it hasn't been effective. To suggest that it is a sure cure for all types of depression is very insulting for those people whom excersize might only be a small part of the puzzle, or who might not be able to excersize at all.

Its like suggesting that someone who can't see anything has to simply turn the houselights on in able to see. Maybe you had the lights off, and you couldn't see, and when you turned the lights on it solved your problem. You hear someone else describe the exact same problem that you had, so you suggest they turn the lights on. But their problem is glaucoma or some other problem with their eyes that causes blindness. You can insist all you want that they should try harder and harder to find the lightswitch, but no matter how hard they try it is not going to help them, even though it helped you.

It is still a good suggestion because there may be others who have to turn on the lights. But if you keep repeating that as "the" solution, the people who are blind are eventually going to feel resentful, exhausted for all the trying with no success, and eventually feel even more hopeless because what "should" work, doesn't.

Let me be clear on this... if someone suffers deep, debilitating depression that is not situational and is caused by a severe chemical imbalance in the brain, all the excersize and positive thinking in the world is not going to cure it without other forms of treatment in conjunction, including meds and therapy. And anyone who finds a total solution in excersize or positive thinking doesn't suffer from the kind of chemical imbalance that I am speaking of. And there are a million shades of gray in between.

I do agree that it can be a HUGE problem is one feels that the label of depression gives them "permission" to be depressed, i.e. to not have to work at getting better. Getting better takes a huge amount of work and several avenues of treatment. But please don't assume or imply that everyone who is suffering from depression is reacting to the "label". It may have been your situation but it is inaccurate and unfair, and an overly simplistic generalization, to assume that everyone has the same psychology that you had in terms of reaction to the diagnosis (not even talking about the illness itself here). My depression hit me strong and hard. It debilitated me completely. I went from a workaholic overachiever to being unable to function. I couldn't clean my house, open my mail, and I haven't been able to work in a full year. Through the whole thing I hated the pain of the depressionand I did everything in my power to help it. Doctors, support groups, all forms of excersize, meditation, coping skills. I was really determined through the whole thing. Only after many trials of different combinations of meds did I begin to feel "glimpses" of my old self again. I feel I am on a good road to recovery now and hope to begin working again soon.

But to say that "excercise" is what cured me would be as wrong as saying that it was "just the meds" that cured me, although in my case I think the meds played the biggest factor. Excersize maybe one of the smallest factors. For me, medicine, therapy, determination, and forcing myself to recognize and continue helpful behaviours, such as attending my support group, were the biggest factors.

Everyone is different, and we need to hear lots of different solutions and coping skills, so we can find those that work for each of us.