[xMaverickx]

I'm a college student in my second year and I am depressed. I constantly look at the down side of things, I lack motivation, I'm lazy, and I sometimes don't care. I have seen therapists but nothing seems to work. I was thinking about medication but I don't know anyone who has been on them. Can anyone tell me about anti-depressants??

[Fr_Chuck]

Well if your doctor thinks that is the issue, then yes you should be on them, if not, often it is a matter of forcing yourself to do things, get involved.

It all depends if your being lazy is from depression of if you are just plain lazy.

[Choux]

You have to take action and make a life for yourself. Do stuff.

A happy life is about trial and error, or trial and success. The main thing is to have activity planned for every day. School, part-time job, exercise, friends, and so on.

There are no magic pills to solve the problem of inactivity. Medication can be successful for people with major mental illness or deep depressions, but other than that, the best thing for people is to lead an active life, according to several recent studies.

Good Luck to you in the future. :)

[linnealand]

Actually, lack of motivation can be a symptom of depression. Depression is something that does need to be taken seriously from the beginning, as the more one gets depressed, the harder it can be to reach out to get help.

Not all therapists are equal. Remember, psychologists can give therapy, but they cannot perscribe medications; psychiatrists can perscribe medications, but they can also handle therapy.

If your depression is serious and has been going on for an extensive period, and if you do not feel that therapy alone has been able to really help you, then you should certainly consider seeing a psychiatrist to get their professional advice. If they do prescribe an anti-depressant or other medication, you have no reason to be afraid of it. Be sure to follow your doctor's advice, and keep yourself informed.

Depression is a medical issue as much as it is a psychological one. Anti-depressant medications (and there are many out there; your doctor will help to find the one that is right for you) are designed to take care of the physiological issues so that the real you can start putting everything else back in place. If you need them, they're certainly nothing to be scared of.