Originally Posted by Spike*Spiegel

depression and suicide = overrated and obnoxious. You cough the wrong way and the doctor is jumping out of his undies to prescribe you some Zoloft or some other potentially dangerous chemical the pharmaceutical companies have deemed effective and safe treatments.. Then again, didn't they tell us that Paxil was one of the safest medications to take for depression and low and behold it actually multiplied risk for suicide, caused birth defects and death was actually one of the listed side effects... (which is not uncommon in antidepressant side effects)
I had a terrible problem with sever depression in my teenage years and tried a plethora of medications to control it. Most of the time, I ended up walking around feeling like a zombie, or experienced strange bouts of aggression from my body's reaction to it or simply felt high and disconnected. The best treatment, I've found and many others have agreed, is simple exercise and eating healthily. Many times, the chemical imbalance that causes depression stems for a lack of serotonin, norepinephrine or misregulation (I made that word up) of either of those or dopamine. After a simple 40 minute cardio workout your body goes to work releasing and helping to regulate these things. Sometimes, the problem comes from improper nutrition, which is where eating correctly comes into play. Greasy, fatty or sugary foods are not going to give your body what it needs in order to function properly. In fact, they are quite addicting, as well. I could go on for hours with this, but my point is that depression is a diagnoses they are much too free with handing out. Most people, I believe, need to get off their asses and do something about it, but we live in an instant gratification society where we want the quickest fix- the "magic" pill- to do the work for you. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand that there are cases of genuine depression, bipolar and anxiety disorders that do exist where nothing but a medication or ECT can help, but I firmly believe that they far, far fewer than the general public is led to believe. *gets off soapbox*