Get a copy of Cheri Huber's "The Depression Book" and/or "Regardless of What You've Been Told, there's Nothing WRong with You." She's a zen teacher and a truly lovely person. And her premise is that we live in a society that has to suppress people (depress them) to get them to "go along to get along" -- and that it begins when we're in the hospital nursery and just keeps going.

Her point, and I agree, is that if you have a chemical imbalance, by all means, take chemicals to deal with it. But also use depression to look at what we need to work on in our lives. Dealing with depression can produce monumental emotional and spiritual breakthroughs. Taking a medication and calling that good can result in a stasis that might be not-suicidal, but also not very lively.

So -- AND HEAR ME LOUDLY AND CLEARLY ON THIS PART, PLEASE, before you go posting about what a creep I am because I don't believe in taking anti-depressants -- it's not an either-or-kind of thing. Do BOTH. Take what you need to take to get your balance restored, or to keep yourself from doing you or someone else harm, AND work on your stuff. We all have it and we all have to work on it at some time or other, so we might as well dig in. AND... have a counselor or good friend (someone who is not equally depressed) be your companion through the process. No one should go through this kind of growth alone.

(and yes, I've been there, too. I do know whereof I speak.)

ww