[birbear]

And often such events have such an effect on a person that he/she becomes depressed. It seems to me that such depression is perfectly normal. I mean, who wouldn't be a little bit or even greatly depressed when going through a divorce or when a parent, spouse, child, friend dies?

Yes, it's very common to become depressed vecause of events like this. And most of the medication literature suggests that you don't thake meds for that kind of depression. And good docs won't prescribe anti-depressants for those kind of events. A good grief counselor is usually what's needed for that, and probably a support group.

If you're spending two weeks or more with a symptoms such as a loss/gain in appetite, not doing things that you once found appealing, a lost interest in sex, increased crying, thoughts of suicide or self harm, etc... you probably do need professional help.. and one of those helpful things could be medication.

[GBA]

I couldn't agree with you more...but...it's like you said about finding a good grief counselor and support group. My own experience is that everyone in that support group is on some sort of meds. And...also experiencing the side effects. It's so much easier for the medical professional to give out the meds than to deal with the root cause without the meds. But when in the privacy of their own thoughts and looking back, does the patient say it was the work that they did or the medication that made them feel better? What gives them the strength for the next inevitable challenge?

My point is that meds are over prescribed and that real gains are made without them. They are needed, but only when chemical imbalance and not some life events are the cause of the depression.