Thank you for this
It is true, I do not have a mild form of depression. The mere fact that I have been dealing with highs and lows and anxiety since I was about 15 indicates i have a chronic problem. I can use excersize, self talk, theraphy etc to get above water and obtain what I consider mental wellness. But the rollar coaster and the idea that I can achieve so much more with a little help from boosting my brain chemistry is what I think might be the right thing to at least try. As my husband said yesterday, wouldnt it be nice to not react in panic when he mentions he wishes we could all go to centre island or the zoo. Wouldnt it be nice that one day I could do these things with even enjoyment.
My dr. gave me a script for Cymbalta, I havent taken meds for 12 years, I havent taken one yet but as the hours go on Im leaning on giving it a try….

I have suffered with depression probably all my life.. Today i am having one of those bad days, you know the one that comes and goes.
I am actually taking anti depressants, so I’m not sure if that means i need to increase the dosage.. I have rang my doctor and am waiting for them to ring back, the doctor really makes me feel like I’m getting nowhere fast!
My ad is on his way to mine as I am too weak and just can’t be bothered to go out.
I think it is because I don’t know who I am! I don’t think i am worth much (that may not be true feeling tomorrow) but deep down thatis how i feel.
Maybe it is a wake up call that I need to take a good look at my life, and i am doing and that is making me depressed! god i hope one day this torchure will leave me and I can live a joyous happy life
Bless you all

Thanks.
I’ve been dealing with running from my depression since I was fourteen. It took me 3 years to even call it what it was, 4 years to get help, and 5 to finally get meds. I’m still not great, but I’m finally getting somewhere, and the meds are an important part of that. I still question that sometimes, and I think I’ll skip reading the article you wrote about myself… but I know that I’m starting to head in the right direction. It’s just nice to be reminded sometimes that there are other people who feel the same way.

Working in the Mental Health field I see a need for medicines. It might be true that in some cases medicine is not needed. But on the other hand mental health consumers with certain conditions do much better on the proper medicines than without. I once heard one lady with depression say, “Why won’t God answer my prayers for this depression to go away.” My answer was God has given man the ability to take plants (in many cases) and make medicines that will help with depression. There should be no more stigma around the brain not being chemically balanced than any other organ in the body. No one shames a person with diabetes, because their pancreas isn’t functioning properly. Life sometimes gives a person situational depression which will pass with time, but chronic depression takes the proper medicines for a person to feel normal. In some cases even medicines alone can’t do the job. The right doctor, the right medicines and the right therapist is the trinity of good mental health. Peace Love Stardove

YOU GO, GIRL!
I struggled for a long time to go without drugs, to “cheer up,” “hang in there,” etc. Eventually it just got to be too much. Luckily my therapist and doctor were there for me. They helped me save my life, literally. One year later, I am feeling much more like myself pre-depression, and I really couldn’t give a darn to those people who say it’s all in my head. I have made great progress in therapy and yes, I am still taking Cymbalta, but it does not concern me in the least that I “need” this drug to feel like myself again. Without the drug, and the therapy and the yoga and the journaling all together, I would be dead. James Gordon and his buddies can go pound sand.

I wonder if people with mild to moderate depression who try to treat themselves “naturally” risk getting worse over time. I take antidepressants and I’ve never understood those who would rather take St. John’s Wort than something that’s been tested and shown to be effective. Thanks for this article. I’m so tired of the “antidepressants are happy pills” nonsense.

Thanks for your take on the anti-drug forces re depression. I don’t think many of the people mouthing such opinions have ever had any first-hand experience with what we routinely deal with (I am having a bad day, today, myself… but without my meds that would be routine instead of an aberration!) The mind is malleable – but I trust Dr. Kramer when he talks about damage to the brain. If we need the extra serotonin to be normal – why in heavens not? Would you deprive a one-legged person of a prosthesis or even a wooden leg? Our blues are of an entirely different sort than a slight down, as we all know.
I especially decry the Scientologists masquerading as mental health experts who operate under a pseudonym and discourage psychiatry as a whole! Because I live in Hollywood, a hub for that, I see lots of their propaganda! It’s not a sign of spiritual or psychological weakness, but working on your treatment is a positive sign of self-care and mental health!
You are brave and so helpful with your honest self-disclosure. I am sure you help many people by being so candid.

Therese, it’s good to see your confidence growing in what you believe and what works for you. Peg

This is a well thought out argument. I like the argument by Kramer how depression is either the cause or the result of certain areas of the brain atrophying. There is a very interesting article on the Boston Globe website (dated July 6, 2008) about “How Prozac sent the science of depression in the wrong direction”, by Jonah Lehrer. It’s not about that Prozac is no good for depression, but about how an indirect effect of SSRI’s reverse the shrinkage of the brain. This reversal, it is believed, leads to the remission of depression. It is an interesting theory.

therese i have to agree that meds and the right thereypist works for me.i used to think that just the meds alone would work but quickly found out the family doctor doesnt have a clue about how to treat depression.thanks for all of you insightfull articles.

I get extremely frustrated by these articles because it ultimately reflects a bias against illnesses that occur from the neck up. Medical science is incredibly ignorant about medications for psychiatric maladies. I believe our doctors do their best, but the brain is a tricky organ.
I am bipolar. If I did not take my meds for my biochemical disease, I would have no husband and would be completely out of touch with my precious children. A bio-CHEMICAL disorder requires a chemical solution. Taking medicine does not make us weak people. It makes us stronger than we would be on our own.
The researchers aren’t talking to the right people. Maybe they don’t want to.

For the record, Beyond Bluers can blame me for almost sending Therese spinning out — I sent her the article. (Sigh.)
But on a serious note, it’s so good to have Therese’s support when fighting increasingly influential voices like James Gordon and Charles Barber, at a time when the anti-medication movement has gone well past “Hey, how about some St. John’s wort or kava kava instead?” (Even few anti-medication folks use that line any more.)
Medication may be “necessary but not sufficient,” as they say. But for many of us, IT IS NECESSARY.
That said, I so much more respect a critic like Philip Dawdy, whose issue doesn’t seem to be so much with medication in principle (a la Gordon or Barber) as with the way Big Pharma tests and markets psychotropic medications. But that’s a different argument.

Andrew Solomon (author of Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression) commented in the PBS documentary Depression: Out of the Shadows: “It’s a poverty of the English language that we only have that one word, depression, that’s used to describe how a little kid feels when it rains on the day of his baseball game, and it’s also used to describe why people spend their lives in mental hospitals and end up killing themselves.”
From article The experience of darkness and hope.
And no doctor, regardless of credentials, can know what unique flavor of depression we are experiencing and what medication will benefit us, without our actually using it. But it is complex. There are expectations of success that may not be realized. I felt frustrated, disappointed and even more depressed in years past when a med (eg Buspar) did not work for me. Lately, diet and supplements (including St. John’s Wort) do manage my dysthymia.

At 37 1st suicide attempt, 57 2nd attempt. At 75 a lethal attempt termed a ‘miracle’ of survival. I have, and still am on Prothiaden since 1986 but that did not help my violent mood swings. My family suffered hell from my tantrums. I “was so like” my grandfather, mother and a grandson with same “moods.” My youngest child said I was Bi-Polar. I was in denial until 3rd attempt as I “did not go into sexual, spending sprees.”
I did not want to live a life of misery. My family was really angry and forced me to see a shrink – Bi-Polar plus major chronic depression was the diagnosis. A shrink in 1986 missed the symptoms! Put me on Prothiaden.
There is a genetic link traced back to patriarch. My grandson is a hermit at 30 – refuses treatment and is hell to live with. Denial.
With strict medication routine – 2 years later, at 77 years of age I have found such joy-in-living. Every minute is precious.
To young folk – do not waste your life in misery. Get help.
Mental disorders are also a “Chronic Disease” that needs treatment not only philosphy and therapy.

When I wa first prescribed Prozac, my childhood “conditioning” against mental illness and medication (:All you ned is a swft kick in the pants” “Pull yourself up bu the bootstraps”, and “Drugs are drugs, no matter WHERE you get them.” (street corner versus pharmacy) “You can just CHOOSE to be happy.” inevitably reared its ugly head. Eventually I began unmedicating myself after a week or two of relative peace. Each time I did that, one of my sisters would notice my backlsiding emotions and challenge me: “You aren’t taking your Prozac, are you?” It was THAT obvious even though I continued with all of the other components of my treatment plan.(counselng, prayer, vitamins, journaling and the like. Because of that experience, no one will EVER AGAINconvince me that the meds are superfluous or a symptom of moral weakness. Going back on my medications was just as observable Now many years later, I am on a different cocktail, but the issue reains the same:Why stop taking them if they are helping? It’s clear to me that those who would damn SSRiS HAVE NEVER WAKED A SINGLE STEP in our moccassins and are CLUELESS about hpw devestating life in the snake pit can be/is.No one has ever advocated that I quit taking my oral insulin. IMO it all goes back to accepting that mood disorders are actually DISEASE rather than character flaws.

I have been diagnosed with depression since 1989 and have struggled with the medications and people’s attitudes toward it ever since. I was diagnosed as bipolar last year and I was hoping that maybe that was why I wasn’t getting better. I didn’t know that the symptoms get worse instead of the possibility of not having to take medication and getting “over” the symptoms. There are so many opinions and attitudes that people have concerning this illness. When I tried to do it homeopathically it would only be a temporary fix until I went into another phase and then it would be awful for all around me. My husband will tell you that I DO NEED the medicine or it would be near impossible to live with me. Take it from someone who lives with it everyday and knows that they just aren’t feeling sorry for themselves. I really appreciated this article and I am going to send it to several non-medical people who have told me that it is all in my outlook on life and that I don’t need medication.

I value this post so much! I’ve been on depression meds for almost 10 years now and I have to say … they saved my life. The difference between “I’m so depressed today” and “Oh, my God … I don’t think I can face another day of pain” is mind blowing. I’m not sure it can fully be understood by someone unless they’ve endured it. I have a few family members who have the “just snap out of it” school of thought. Most, however, have been incredibly supportive. When the drugs first kicked in, I was astonished. I told my doctor, “If this is what normal feels like, I’ve never felt it before.” He explained that perhaps I’d needed the Rx for years for my CHEMICAL IMBALANCE. He said think of it like this … some people need insulin. They’ll need it forever. You may need your brain chemicals adjusted forever. I’m all about feeling healthy. I have my down days for sure, but they never get as dark and frightening as that long winter all those years ago. The cold blanket of depression lay over me and I was desperate. Some chemical company had the slogan; “better living through chemistry”. I dig it! I meditate, walk the labyrinth at my local arboretum and practice choosing joy each and every morning. I also take my meds religiously. I believe that life’s all about balance. The arrogance of those who would preach otherwise is hard to swallow. I wouldn’t wish depression on ANY of the people who are so inclined as to think I can just analyze my way out of it. Peace and health to all! Have a joyful day!

This was a great post!! I have run accross this attitude for over ten years from friends, family, and even myself! The statement of:
“fretting that I’m going to turn into a total blob of a brain by the time the kids graduate from high school because I have allowed myself to take these toxic pills for so long, and agonizing about the idea that I might be running from my REAL ISSUES, and so I will be forever chased by anxiety and depression, and how I’m just a big loser for taking the easy way out–”
rings so true with me and has been the source of more than one dissolved friendships. It is once again so reassuring to hear others talk about encountering this stance and that ignoring it is perfectly O.K. I too have weaned myself off of meds as well as going cold-turkey three times and can attest that this is a chemical issue/medical condition. It helps so much to hear other people who struggle with this as well.

I am continuing my therapy now, after spending 2 weeks in a local psychiatric facility. I was told in the beginning, that we have to look at our recovery as a 40%/60% journey – 40% medication and 60% our own work on how to handle our specific problems, with the help of the staff. I also journal, have a list of “gratitudes” for each day, pray and am starting meditaion.
I know that without the meds,I would not be making the progress I am. I am a long way from being “healthy” again, but without the meds, I possibly might not even be here to write these comments.
Everyone has the right to their own opinions and bless those that can make the journey on their own. But for me, it is God, therapy and my perscribed meds.

Thank you, Therese. It is frustrating to hear and read what people who are not living w/ depression think we should do. I am old enough now to have adopted the “whatever works” attitude, and for me, meds work.

My body has never produced more than a teaspoon of seratonin. I have felt that I should do the world a favor and die as far back as I can remember which is about age 5. I am now 62, and have actively sought any relief- but for the past 30+ years have been diagnosed treatment resistent. My best days I woke to the thought that “I guess I’ll choose to live today – but I don’t know why” – The most I experienced, for about 4 months, was that the deep, black pit became a dark grey and I could glimpse the bottom every so often.
In October, after being untreated for about 5 years due to the Reno/Sparks medicaid only allowning Prozac or Paxill – which made me more determined to experience suicide but also to take out others at the same time – so just did not go back.. I am now living in Sacramento – and finally, fearfully made my way to the county mental hospital. They determined I was seeking help and did not keep me – but did contact a new agency who came to my apt the next day and made an appt with the psychiatrist the following week. After the usual “not working” of a combination of antidepressants the Psych prescribed Cymbalta in early December.
I am posting to tell everyone – do not give up. If one medication does not work – keep searching. Within weeks I awoke one morning and my first thought was – “It is so good to be alive and I want to fully life!” – that had never even been a hidden hope for me even for one day in my 62 years of “existance”
Today, I am recovering from major surgery, hundreds of miles from my two adult children – no friends, no transportation – and in what is considered one of the 3 most dangerous complexes in all of the county to live in. BUT – I greet each day with a joy and zest I still find startling. I am still – grateful, so grateful, that my 3 serious attempts did not work. I look forward to living life once my physical health is restored – and I get moved to a safer place.
My cognitive abilities are sharper, clearer – and my feelings and emotions beyond “depressed, sad, worthless” can now be felt. I realize this med may stop working – but that is the future maybe’s. Today – I am thrilled to think that I will be taking this antidepressant each and every am and pm for the rest of what I hope is a long, extended – LIFE.
Others who do not experience the agony we do – are so quick to judge and suggest a tiny band-aid of “think happy”, “get over it” or “go away”.. We know the suffering – and we who are blessed to experience what I have now – know the true positive benefits from medications.
ty..

I couldn’t agree more with this blog. The comment by James Gordon that “Depression is … a wakeup call to examine our lives” suggests that those who suffer from depression have miserable lives, and those who don’t suffer from depression just have it all worked out. I know many people with screwed up lives who are not depressed, and many of the people I know who are depressed actually have really wonderful lives. The implication is that depressed people just aren’t working hard enough at being happy. But it’s the very fact that you have to work so hard at it that sets a depressed person apart from someone who does not suffer from depression. I have a chronic neurological condition, and though I rarely suffer from depression, I know that it happens on days that are exactly like any other, that my state of mind and approach to life is exactly the same as it was yesterday, only today the sky doesn’t seem as blue. I also know that when something isn’t right with my brain, it can just as easily cause an apparently psychological problem as it can a physical problem, and this is totally out of my control. I need to take a lot of medications for my brain and my heart (not being metaphorical – my actual cardiovascular heart), and I don’t hesitate to take them because I know that without them my body doesn’t function the way a normal body should. I feel exactly the same way about antidepressants. When I need them, I need them.

I wonder how much James Gordon drinks.
As one who turned to alchol to calm my mania, go to sleep (rather, pass out), escape from problems and everyday life, I think that the prescription drugs that have been developed in recent years ARE A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN ALCOHOL OR STREET DRUGS.

Thank you for an excellent, thoughtful piece. As someone who has had episodes of major depression throughout my adult life, I would add one thing to those who feel the need to preach against psychoactive medication:
Those of us who most need medication are often already second-guessing ourselves, reluctant to call attention to our disease; we have difficulty imagining that we will ever feel healthy, let alone taking the action to make that happen; and we don’t believe that we deserve the time and money that may be spent on our recovery. We are apt to listen to any advice that will not require us to meet new people and ask them to help us. Being told that there is another way (which, incidentally, will not require us to make the very difficult decision to request aid from others) is the worst sort of sabotage. We doubt that we have tried hard enough, long enough. We doubt even that we deserve to feel such pain – forget about deserving to feel better.
Please, if you must preach, wait until the antidepressants have kicked in and we have the ability to think rationally about our own health care decisions. At that point, most of us will confront the “how long? Forever?” question without your prodding.

I don’t think that I have “depression” per se, as much as persistent dysthemia. I get up early every morning, exercise and bathe, do my job well, finish everything on time – I function perfectly well every day. I just feel “BLAH” and often deadened internally. I refuse to take meds for this – it is not a chemical problem, it is my problem. I used to be a cheerful, optimistic person who looked forward to the future (who believed that there was a future) – my choice to be a responsible good little citizen with proud parents, which required doing a whole lot of things I’d never actually “want” to do but which looked good and were prestigious and responsible, created these circumstances. I can see light out there, I know that I can get back to it somehow.
I agree that we know ourselves best. In your case, meds obviously are the answer. In mine, this is a wakeup call to put some of myself back into my life.

I’ve been a psychotherapist for 20+ years now. I’ve had my own struggles with depression. I have found medication to be helpful along the way. Many of my clients are helped with meds. Some of them could not function without them.
Nonetheless, I find the author of this article to be somewhat misrepresenting Gordon. Gordon is absolutely not anti-medication. He is what I would consider extremely conservative regarding meds. The research he presents is consistent with reams of material I’ve read regarding the meds typically prescribed for depression.
I’m grateful for the role that psychiatric medication has alleviated suffering, but I’m also of the opinion that it is generally used too quickly. I don’t see how any one can question that a fair amount of depression has at its core personal issues that need to be dealt with. The fact that this shows up biologically in the brain by no means “proves” that the biology is the cause… it can simply be a result. You’d be hard pressed to find a therapist who hasn’t had plenty of clients who got the quick pill fix and so made little effort to understand what else might be going on.
I find it extremely regrettable for the author if she’s heard anyone telling her that she’s somehow not treating her depression “right” if she’s using meds. I just think its important to note that Gordan isn’t one of those persons.

Having listened to James Gordon argue that his methods work because “depression is NOT a Disease!…let’s call it a life experience” and hearing an opposing psychiatrist’s argument that depression “meets all the definitions of a disease” I heard enough semantic muddling to last a lifetime.
Neither of them would rest with the idea that a medical condition that negatively impacts our overall health is not necessarily a “disease.” But it IS a medical condition that may be treated more effectively with certain medications on a case-by-case basis.
I’m not used to hearing diabetes described as a “disease” as the psychiatrist did. I think migraine headaches would meet his definition of “disease.” Way to compare us to lepers!
Please don’t laugh at these next few questions: Is diarrhea a disease or a state of normal bodily functions? Does one with diarrhea have a chemical imbalance in their intestines? Is depression a disease or a state of normal emotional functioning? Does one with depression have a chemical imbalance in their brains? Is there only one treatment for all cases of diarrhea: high doses of antibiotics? Is there only one treatment for all cases of depression: high doses of medication? And here’s the kicker: can diarrhea be fatal? can depression be fatal?
I do believe that Gordon’s heart is in the right place but I don’t think he expresses the core concepts very well when he speaks or writes. His treatment case results speak better.
Final humor: is everyone with diarrhea to be avoided because even if you can’t catch it, they are unpleasant to be around?

Your opinion is valuable, but you’re misrepresenting Gordon’s book. He has a lot of great data on meds and when it’s appropriate, and also on how to not go that route. You’re actually pretty much DOING Gordon’s program- exercise, cognitive change, medical treatment (traditional or alternative), meditation. Its a shame that your negative review- and it seems like its based on not actually reading the book- is showing up #1 in search results and might actually stop people who could benefit from holistic and combined treatment from reading it and healing. Maybe read the book in its entirety and see if you really disagree with it.

Wow. The fact that you had to take a mental health day just to prepare yourself to read the Newsweek article makes me wonder why you’re so afraid of it and just how much your drugs are actually helping you! Good luck.

Hi Therese: You just saved me the cost of Dr. Gordon’s book,”Unstuck”. It has been sitting here awaiting my attention, but still unread.I intend to return it. When I was, as it turns out, at the tail-end of a 9 month long depression, I purchased his book. Partially, I have to admit, because my Dad and a brother are named James Gordon.In any case, after several med changes my wonderful psychiatrist and I found one that works really well. Actually, it takes a combination of meds to enable me to live a “normal” life. I now go to bed and wake up happy and ready to take on the world. Returned to college last week, started swimming again, going to dinner with friends, etc.. I want to encourage anyone struggling with mood disorders, to be persistent in finding good doctors and a talk therapist and to stay at it until you find drugs that normalize your brain chemistry.

Wow, way to paint with a broad, brooooooooooad brush there, Ms. Borchard. Nothing like boiling down a detailed, integrative, meticulously researched & time-tested method like Dr. Gordon’s into a nice little capsule of “Drugs are always bad for you–don’t take them!”
I agree with Christine and Wes. I think you’re gravely misrepresenting the message in Dr. Gordon’s book. Not only that, you’re doing it in a lazy way. I HAVE read the book. And the message isn’t “don’t take drugs” . . .it’s “take drugs as a last resort.”
More than anything, Dr. Gordon is saying there’s no one way to treat depression, and that different approaches work for different people. Because of the way our healthcare is structured, a lot of doctors see pills as an easy first step. Drug companies also tend to minimize/obscure the potential side effects (or the actual efficacy) of these drugs, INCLUDING a difficult and often painful withdrawal process . . . so the only thing worse than going on them is getting off of them. I’ve watched too many friends struggle with drugs that were supposed to be “safe” and “nonaddictive” that did affect them when they tried to stop.
Reading Dr. Gordon’s book helps you make an informed decision about what to do about your own life & health.
I’m glad drugs are helping you, Ms. Borchard. It sounds like you may be one of the people with severe depression who ARE actually helped by SSRI’s/antidepressants. I’m also glad you’re giving the alternative methods Dr. Gordon describes in “Unstuck” a try, like Christine says above. The studies Dr. Gordon quotes in his book show some very convincing evidence for the ability of “alternative” methods to boost endorphin/serotonin levels, improve mood and outlook, and increase plasticity in brain cells & cortexz.
At least you know some of your options. Nobody wants people with depression to go untreated. But some people are getting way overmedicated—-a hatchet instead of a scalpel, to use the current vernacular?

Hi, Therese. I think you painted Dr. Gordon’s book with a broad brush—-a hatchet instead of a scalpel, to use the current vernacular. You are misrepresenting his message in your tabloid-journalism review here.
Everyone wants people who are suffering from depression to get the help they need. But a lot of people get prescribed SSRI’s as a first step by a doctor with only 1-2 semesters of neuroscience & pharmacology behind them. And given the time constraints on doctors and the way our healthcare is structured, prescribing a pill is a lot easier than undergoing the thoughtful, progressive therapy Dr. Gordon describes in his book.
I’m glad pills are helping you. It sounds like you’re one of the people with severe chemical depression for whom SSRI’s ARE more effective than placebos. I’m also glad you’re taking some alternative steps–like Christine said, yoga, meditation, et al–that have been scientifically proven to change brain chemistry, boost serotonin & endorphins, lift mood and outlook, and even stimulate brain growth & plasticity.

Got as far as the hippocampus regions and then decided to write this comment. Lack of Omega 3 oils will cause this and correct this also.
Common sense tells us that we are what we eat.
Eat a good diet, high in foods that are as nature made them, meats from animals that were fed without drugs etc…and don’t forget to exercise. Deal with your thought life. Find joy were you can. Make yourself laugh!

Thank you so much for your article!
I read the first two chapters of Unstuck and really wished I hadn’t because it had me second guessing myself and my therapy. I know for a fact that what I have isn’t something I can make go away with JUST meditation, yoga, and nutrition. I’ve tried everything else for ten years and it was medicine along with therapy where I was able to get better.

I would highly recommend UNSTUCK. It helps present new perspectives for one to consider. As Wayne Dyer says, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” The saying of “You are what you eat” also applies to the mental thoughts that we can be chewing on for years.
I’ve suffered from depression and heavy suicidal thoughts for many years. I was hospitalized twice in my last year of high school for intentions of suicide. I was put on different several different medications. None of them made me feel like a real person. I was discontent at the notion of having to take a pill the rest of my life to be ‘normal’. I’m now 25, I haven’t used pharma-drugs since I was 17.
I began to learn more about myself and have now studied and used hypnosis to help me hurdle over a lot of resentment, guilt, shame and anger.
In the highly toxic environment we live in pills might be necessary for emergency treatment- to get one out of the deep darkness and to a point of stability. But one also needs to understand the importance of balance in regards to our own personal ecology.
I think Gordon is entirely correct stating it’s not a disease. I choose to look at depression rather as a state of dis-ease. You can too.
Please visit my good friend and mentor’s website http://www.depression-hypnosis.com to learn more about yourself and your mind. It just may help you on your journey.

I think the people who have been to the point they can’t drive, leave their bedrooms, or function doing simple daily tasks can’t get by simply through eating well and going for walks. Being in intense pain- the kind of depression I have experienced- was only helped through several suicide attempts, hospital stays, 2 years of therapy goes 3 days a week, and trial and error SSRI/mood stabilizers. I take a low dosage of a mood stabilizer now, so no anti-depressants, but without it – I cannot live. Thank you for your article. Glad you are doing better after your experience.

Thank you for your article. I think all of us on psych meds second guess ourselves constantly. Until someone has felt the vast empty despair of a true, serious depression, I don’t think they’re qualified to give an opinion on this. When I’m feeling better, closer to “normal”, it’s hard even for me to remember why it was so awful; why I couldn’t accomplish simple tasks or leave my room.
What’s unfortunate about the controversy over medications is that the sooner someone gets on medication during their first major (non-situational) depression, the more likely they are to stabilize their brain chemistry for the long term and live a depression-free life. It’s hard enough, like you said, to ask for help in the first place; people don’t end up in a psychiatrist’s office without some substantial motivation.
There’s no point defending or explaining yourself to anyone – it won’t help you and more than likely won’t change their mind. A friend once said to me, “I think I’m just too stubborn to get depressed.” Um-hmm. Sure, OK. Another said, “But don’t you worry about taking all those drugs?” Yes, I do, but the alternative is worse. Period.

Dear Dr. Borchard,
I would like to correct a few misconceptions about my book, ‘Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression,’ profiled in the Newsweek interview you describe. The paragraph you quote does not accurately represent the message of ‘Unstuck’, and I hope to set the record straight.
1. Depression is a grave and widespread problem and I never suggest that it isn’t. But the perception of it as a disease, and one that can be simply and easily cured by a simple note on the prescription pad, is not only dangerous, it’s disrespectful to the complex suffering that people are experiencing and to the capacity of each person to mobilize and heal him- or herself.
2. I do not state that stopping use of SSRI’s is the right choice for everyone; I make the distinction that SSRI’s are not useful for the majority of people with mild to moderate depression, and that these people might be better served with a self-care regimen before, or while, trying SSRI’s.
Several recent studies have found that in cases of mild to moderate depression, SSRI’s are no better than placebo, and SSRI’s have many more negative side effects than any of the techniques described in Unstuck. In fact, as I describe in the book’s introduction, SSRI’s may in some cases be quite harmful, as several studies find increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior while taking them, and others have demonstrated significant neurological damage.
3. I recommend that people who are on SSRI’s DO NOT stop taking them without reliable professional guidance and/or social support, and only when they have a number of techniques and a support system to depend on in place. Only with this kind of support should they attempt to face the unpleasant side effects of the withdrawal that is euphemistically called “discontinuation syndrome.”
On this note, one of your commenters wrote, “I know for a fact that what I have isn’t something I can make go away with JUST meditation, yoga, and nutrition.”
–She may well be right. One of my first recommendations is for someone to find guidance and support for themselves while they are on the journey, whether that is a professional guide, and/or sympathetic family and friends. Together with this guide, it may be possible to create a comprehensive regimen—perhaps with and perhaps without medication—that helps her to move through her depression.
4. I would also like to point out that when you wrote . . . .
‘In the morning I meditated and prayed at a special spot on Back Creek. In the afternoon, I swam with a new swimming buddy who challenged me big-time with a set of intervals, I walked around the picturesque grounds of the Naval Academy, and then I asked Eric to cut out of work early so that we could go kayaking along the Severn River.’
. . You are using at least 4-5 of the activities I prescribe in my book. The fact that you are using them in conjunction with medication does not weaken their power, and sounds like it is working for you in your particular situation.
I am glad you have found a treatment program that works for you. It is my intention with Unstuck to help many more people find ways to live through, and learn from, depression, whether or not they continue to take antidepressant medication.

Thank you for clearing that up James S. Gordon, M.D. when I was reading this I was about to respond.

You guys haven’t read the book at all. He clear states that medicine is the right answer for some. And he has had depression. Just because he didn’t have it for 12 years doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Drug companies and studies have hide facts for YEARS. Like aspartame was refused by the FDA 7 times, nothing change except for money changing hands.

I have had depression since I was 12 years old. I have been on several medications and NONE have worked for me. The closest was EFFEXOR XR which only made me numb, non-human.