[Santosh83]

Particularly family and close friends. I really don't give a damn what one-time acquaintances and Internet handles say, but when people who should know you better don't, that can be severely damaging. Ultimately I think depression is really chronic existential crisis along with alienation, and while I don't preclude treatment with drugs (as there could be associated physiological aspects that can be corrected and normalised), ultimately one has to 'find' the meaning and joy that can get you out of the rut oneself. But its not easy.

[agumonkey]

Chronic existential crisis can be accidental too. I'm barely out ot a clinical critical one and it was the sum very long time factors that just exploded at the same time in ways that were near impossible for me to predict.

Anyway, drug can be very helpful (coming from someone who refrained to use them) to smooth the bad peaks. It's impossible to fight that.. kinda like a bleeding. Then you can work on other aspects. Also depression has some absurd side, because as long as your brain is tilted nothing works, the day it starts to balance again, for no special reason, you'll start to have mental energy and pleasure you forgot you could have.