I totally blame anti- depressants for many of my worst most violent self harming and depressive episodes, they exacerbated symptoms.

However, I still keep trying new ones... not sure why... mainly because I hope they'll work.

Many many of my friends would not be without them and I am certain that they have helped them through really bad times and provided a stablising platform for them to build on though. I think they work for some and not for others.

And I think, but have no real idea, that depression is both psycho-social and biological, so whilst they can in some cases address the biological, they can't address the psycho-social aspects of the illness... and the diagnosis and monitoring of depression and medication should be a heck of a lot better, at least in my experience in the UK, than it is here.

Am involved in an argument with my doctors about medication at the moment, the ones I take and they insist on providing are all SSRIs which don't seem to (for the last 15 odd years) have had anything but negative effects on me.

I have taken other medications and found that for short periods of anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia or sometimes depression Valium and such actually work a lot better for me, by calming me down and I don't react badly to them...

But apparently "no one" will prescribe them because they are addictive and I may be "addicted at 60"... honestly couldn't care less if I am a content, happy 60 year old with a drug habit having lived the next 32 years of my life happily...

Medicine and doctors...

Drugs don't do the job alone, therapy plays a huge part in getting well also.