A lot needs to be considered before any individual can make a correct decision. I'm not a medical person but I have taken antidepressants for about three years (but I'm off them now) and have listened to others who have taken them.

I've heard some depressed people say that antidepressants have made their unbearable life bearable and have helped them greatly. But if you are suffering from Clinical Depression, before you race off to your Doctor and get some, please consider the following. Antidepressants often come with side effects such as:

• Drowsiness and fatigue

• Constipation, nausea and diarrhea

• Weight gain

• Sexual dysfunction

None of these things are going to add to your happiness and you may have to try two or three different varieties before you find one that is workable for you. Part of the way that many of them work is by numbing you to the difficulties of life and as such they don't cure anything they just make things more bearable and that may help in the short term but numbness is no way to live your life in the long term.

Then there is the difficulty of getting off antidepressants when you decide it's time to move on. I spent about three months reducing my dose bit by bit until I finally stopped. As soon as I stopped I developed major mood swings that went on for many months. Some people even find that when they stop they fall into a deeper depression than they had before they started taking them.

Again I remind you that I am not qualified to advise people on this but as you can now see, the decision needs to be made very carefully. Some people probably need them. Others might need them to buy some time while they look an alternative form of treatment (e.g. Journey Therapy) that suits their condition. But if you are able to get by without them, so much the better.

There are therapies out there which can help and if you have a close friend (or a group) who is prepared to go the distance with you, depression can be worked through and climbed out of. Please don't give up! Life sometimes seems stagnant, but over time things do change.