Yes, depression and the chemical changes associated with it often are mainly a result of life circumstances, but it is often impossible to change the circumstances while you are within the cyle of depression. Drugs are one way to break the cycle so that you can change your circumstances and make the depression less likely to occur again. Another way to break the cycle is some forms of therapy - particularly cognitive therapies.

My depression is almost entirely biologically caused, so I use biological methods to fix it (lightbox and anti depressants - either st johns wort, or a dreaded manufactured drug when that isn't enough. When I get better, I find that my life is fine - even though my depressions has created a whole load of new problems, am able to cope with them just fine.

If my depression were more created by circumstances, would probably still use drugs when necessary, and put myself in a better position to change the factors in my life that precipitated it.

I get tired of hearing about how it is so dreadful to use drugs to combat an illness with mainly psychological symptoms, but its the only thing that works and thats just fine with me. Too many people I know have delayed getting treatment because people they know have told them that anti depressants only mask the symptoms and they shouldn't take them. And when you are depressed, black and white attitudes like that become more entrenched. This led to one of my friends attempting suicide before she would seek help. Luckily she is ok now - thanks to the anti depressants she was persuaded to take.

Bagpuss