I have occasionally suffered from depression. I refuse drugs. It's just not my thing. I found other ways to cope, mostly by being very attentive to how I feel so that I can deal with it before it gets out of hand. My depression would probably be considered clinical because it often isn't caused by any particular change in my life. My brain just has glitches every so often. Fortunately, there are ways to sort of push it back to what it's supposed to be doing.
My friends who have taken anti-depressants had problems and I wouldn't want to do that. They were like zombies. No feelings. No lows, but no real highs either. I'd rather ride the roller coaster than the merry go round, personally.
My big issue with anti-depressants is that first, they become addictive unless people get off them relatively quickly. I don't want to be addicted to anything. Second, it was never clear to me how I was supposed to learn how to de-stress and become happy on my own if I was chemically altering how my brain works. I found that it was a lot of work, but more lasting than it seemed to be for my friends, to take the road of meditation and lifestyle change (i.e., way more exercise, eating right, lots of time outside, no TV, etc.- to naturally boost serotonin levels). Also, vitamin supplements help. Low vitamin D and some of the others can make one depressed.
If I wasn't an emotional person, I wouldn't be me. I like being sensitive, creative, and so on... and from what I've seen of the effects of drugs on my friends, all that goes out the window on anti-depressants. One of my friends, a young mom, told me that on anti-depressants she felt indifferent to life- even to her own baby. No more lows, yes. But also no real joy. That seems a false sort of peace and stillness. Instead, I focused on how to work through and transform my suffering, how to cope with negative emotions and how to change my life to make me happier. Just like I don't want to cover up pain with narcotics, because the pain is telling me something about what my body needs, I don't want to cover up depression with drugs either. I want to know what my body/brain needs to be optimally healthy.
All that said, there is a point where some (relatively few) people are so out of whack that regular therapeutic methods will not work. Better for someone to be on anti-depressants than suicidal (though apparently some of the anti-depressants can make someone suicidal, oddly enough). Having had a family member commit suicide and finding him, that is the worst possible outcome, and some mental illness is serious enough to warrant drugs and hospitalization until the person is stable enough to have more lasting therapy.
My 2 cents.
