Sometimes you can't....sometimes, depression worsens, and you start needing medication and/or therapy when you didn't need it before. Both of those together are the recommendation from medical and psych professionals for the most effective treatment for major depression.

Have you tried taking meds before?

I know how you feel. It is if you can't find the right answers.

I tried for 2yrs to deal with depression w/out the meds..Now I am losing my wife and family due to it..Now I am on the meds and feel alot better but still go through periods of depression. you get used to it..

I haven't had any medication since early September following my suicide attempt. The docs wouldn't give me anything and to be honest, the meds did more damage to me this time round so I'm glad to be off them. Fortunately the antidotes and everything else they used to flush out my system meant there was very little residual left in my body so cold turkey wasn't going to cause those withdrawal symptoms.

I am NOT advocating that people shouldn't take meds. I am merely saying that for ME I function better and more rationally without them.

Meds only play a 15% part in wellness. Learning coping skills will help you a lot more in your recovery in the right kind of therapy. As starfish has already said, it's recommended that you do both.

I'm just one of those medical anomalies (so the docs keep telling me, apparently I defy the laws of medicine in a lot of areas and they wanted to use me for research but I said no).

i walk in the park. i pray. u can talk to me i am here.

I couldn't do it without something, be it calming teas, fish oil, hot baths. But right now I need meds. Recently they had me on too many and now I am only on one and feel human not like a zombie. Laughter, read jokes watch comedies, music, dance exercies, call your friends tell them whats going on, go to counseling.
All the things I forget to do myself. BUT if you're not going to take meds or herbs then you have to make up your mind to do something,a nd you're off to a good start here on DS, now just keep going!