[ufo]

In any case, the current research consensus is that generally antidepressants and talk therapy are complimentary. So talk therapy is better than nothing and antidepressants are better than nothing and combining both treatments is better than sticking to only one.

[KirinDave]

For me, it is difficult to disentangle my feelings for talk therapy from my fear and antipathy towards the church councillors of my young life who put me on such a destructive path of self-denial.

[hluska]

I am very sorry that that happened to you and I completely understand how sometimes church counsellors can cause more problems. I was raised Catholic so believe me when I say that I understand your words about being on a destructive path of self denial.

For what it's worth, as an adult, I had to make a conscious decision not to let the assholes of my youth ruin my life.

It's bullshit that people treated you like that. I'm very sorry that that happened.

[KirinDave]

Thanks. I wish I had been born even 10 years later sometimes, I didn't even know the word for my gender until I was in my 30s. People trying to "correct" my course when I was young left me a lot of scars.

So, I'm not saying my case should shape the world. But I think it's worth considering. People here tend to mix "SSRIs are over-prescribed" with "SSRIs don't work." The data suggests the more focused the study, the stronger the effect, which is usually indicative of practicioners failing to properly use an intervention.

Or so my doctor tells me. He was happy to explain carefully why he uses SSRIs, how long he'll agree to prescribe them for, and what his current reading of the research is. I was surprised, but he says GPs often have to be the first line of defense for people who don't outright end up in the emergency room. I guess that stands to reason.

[KirinDave]

Sure, but the general pattern is: Get the patient stable. Then, follow with talk therapy since that generally is a more permanent solution.