Manufacturing Depression: A journey into the economy of melancholy (2007)
harpers.org
harpers.org
http://harpers.org/archive/2007/05/manufacturing-depression/...
I have depression and it frustrates me to no end when the clinic doctors I see to renew my prescriptions act as though I don't need them – that I would be better off without my medication. I don't really care if I'm getting better because of the placebo effect and I don't care if I'm getting better and that actually benefits a drug company. I just care that I'm getting better.
Sounds like you've been having a hard time getting out of your depression. If medication feels like it's helping then I say go for it, but you need to be aware of the potential costs, as well as alternatives. Therapy and exercise are two alternatives with far fewer side effects that may be even more effective than medication.
If you think your response to the meds is due to placebo effect (odds are that that's true) then that's good, because the placebo effect can be triggered by many things that are not pills. Just doing something that _feels_ like it would be effective is usually enough to _be_ effective.