It is best to be informed and know both extreme ends of the scale and then find a middle ground that suits one, as an individual, best. What works for one does not necessarily work for another.

People who take anti-depressants (and those closest to them) need to be aware, responsible and slightly aggressive about saying so if it is not working. Yes ... aggressive .... because assertiveness does not flow easily or naturally when one is depressed and what might feel like aggressiveness is often necessary assertiveness.

There is a tendency for loved ones to take the "Doctor-knows-best/Doc-is-the-expert" attitude or be struggling themselves to not hear what is being said. Lilwannabe put it aptly with {......I told him [the doctor] that we were going crazy with him. ...}. Your blunt honesty got your husband a medication that was better suited.

{Somersize:...I do study psychology by the way so this is not just random bs....} On the other hand there are doctors out there who are dismissive, arrogant (know-it-all), and judgmental. Somersize is exhibiting signs of this attitude - these are the doctors that I have been avoiding - since you cannot tell (especially when you are depressed) what they really think of you. Their opinion affects everything you do (your treatment, employment, driving licence, insurance premiums etc). Yet until recently in the UK, the patient was the only one who had no access to these notes. Even with the Law changed I remember the struggle I had to get hold of my doctor's report to an insurance company. More than six months down the line I finally got a glimpse of the report and wider implications of my depression all those years ago.

I do not (now) tarnish all doctors and patients with the same brush. I'd just like patients and loved ones to be more aware and informed.

{Tigra1965: When used properly as a tool toward providing assistance in dealing with the REAL issues or causes behind anxiety and depression, medicine can be very beneficial.}

I agree. When used properly being key. It has to be used properly by ALL concerned. I see evidence of how the NHS/Care in the Community is failing some of the most vulnerable people. I got the "Do-you-know-how-much-you-are-costing-the-NHS" routine 25 years ago - I didn't need it. Elderly people who have paid their contributions ALL their lives do not get treatment when they need it. There is a bigger picture. … but I am drifting off-topic.

Take care,