Yeah, there's a wonderful little thing called the Treatment Aetiology Fallacy.

'Just because aspirin takes away the headache, doesn't mean the headache was caused by a lack of aspirin.'

I'm seventeen, and no medical professional; I should've gone and slapped them the right way some time ago.

excellent. now that they are learning about the true function of the drug, maybe the people who need the help won't face the stigma. And health insurance companies might be more inclined to cover treatment for these diseases. Maybe.

I refuse to see depression as an "illness". Take the time out to confront your issues, instead of throwing a pill at it.

Exactly like the whole weight loss thing, we all know what it takes, exercise and good eating. Instead people want a quick fix.

Then again, the medical industry makes its money with its quick fixes ....

Depression is a disorder, and an illness because people don't understand it.
I'm not sure what your understanding of depression is but has it occurred to you that the people genuinely can't confront their past, or it causes them so much pain they simply can't bear to.

Anti-Depressants were never (as my understanding goes) considered a cure for depression; they simply alleviate the symptoms to allow the sufferer to cope with the disorder. Neuropsychologists, however, get lost in all the fantastic links and discoveries and correlations they can induce.

It's never that they cant, it's that they wont. Stop being a victim and take control of your own life. Yeah, it's tough, but it's supposed to be. You don't need someone to tell you what's wrong with you ... has anyone ever considered that there's nothing inherently wrong with having depression? It doesn't mean you're less of a person, it's just the body's natural reaction when somethings not quite right. You'd be much better off dealing with it instead of masking away the "symptoms" :D

All I know is that I felt something was wrong inside of my head from the time I was 15. I struggled through a pitiful life for 15 more years, and 3 days after starting to take Prozac, I realized I finally understood what normal felt like.

My life worked well until after 12 years, the Prozac lost its effectiveness, and sadly, so did my life. Now I'm on medication that medicates me, and keeps me alive, but doesn't do whatever it was that Prozac did for me.

Placebo effect? Hardly. I didn't expect anything when I started taking it, I was in a deep chronic depression.

I liken the Prozac for chronic depression as similar to insulin for diabetes. You wouldn't ridicule a diabetic for having to take a daily med, and their behavior led to their disease in some cases.