Little Hawk,
I rarely get angry but you have pushed ALL of my buttons! If Thomas' friend were diabetic would you jump to criticize the doctor who prescribed insulin? Well guess what? Clinical depression is an illness caused by seratonin imbalance. It too is remedied by prescription drugs.
I am not suggesting stupifying someone who is has had a bad day. But to belittle anti-depressives is the equivalent of recommending suicide as a more socially acceptable alternative. I have had to deal with this problem with members of my family. A sixteen year old, who couldn't "suck it up" anymore, jumped from the roof of her home and spent a year in a full body cast. She will probably never be able to have children. A brother got help only after losing his job, writing a suicide note, and nearly destroying his family.
Thomas, as has already been recommended, if your friend has been down for more a few weeks, be her best friend and insist that she see a doctor.
Mary, who turned her life around with Prozac and a few years of therapy.