As others have said, SSRIs really help. And it may help to say - it's not a happy-pill. A lot of non-depressed people seem to think it's something you take that makes you happy. If you're feeling down they'll ask if you've stopped taking your medicine, because if you're on them you should be cheerful, right?
This is not a happy pill. It doesn't fundamentally change anything. But it takes the sharp edge off the pain so that it's bearable.
Therapy is surprisingly effective too.
Over the past decade+ I've also found that an ability to monitor and hack your own mood is an incredibly valuable skill. Know what things trigger depression and either avoid them or work out a contingency plan to weather the storm. I keep my driving after dark to a minimum because cityscapes at night do this to me. Have a mind-killer available for when a spiral is coming and force yourself to use it. Obviously some are healthier than others (great books often work well) but the really important part is to shut down that introspection quickly. The more you do it, the better you become at it.
Over the past decade+ I've also found that an ability to monitor and hack your own mood is an incredibly valuable skill. Know what things trigger depression and either avoid them or work out a contingency plan to weather the storm... Have a mind-killer available for when a spiral is coming and force yourself to use it.
This is basically exactly what I've been working on to overcome my own depression.
Reading Less Wrong and working on the basic techniques of the sequences has made a huge difference. And note that the "mind-killer" doesn't have t...
My girlfriend suffers serious depression. She has sleep disorder, anorexia, chronic pain, problems to concentrate, low selfesteem, daily low mood, listlessness and is very indecisive. On the other side she considers herself very happy apart from the "depression periods" and we have a great time together. We already consulted a psychotherapist, but there is waiting time about one month. I buyed her fishoil capsules, because she eats no fish and there is mild evidence that it helps treating depression (I don't think this will affect her depression greatly, but fishoil seems like an overall good idea). We often go on walks to catch some sunlight and get her some exercise.
She says she never want's to take antidepressants because she fears to get dependent from them. I think she might change her mind if there are very good arguments in favour of them. She is quite rational in spite of not knowing the LW-stuff. Does anybody of you know if there is any information of the succes rate of medicamentous (and psycho therapeutic) treatment available?
I highly appreciate any advice.
Furthermore i want to call attention to the topic of depression. A huge share of the population suffers at least once in their lifetime under depression (~20% in Germany). Sadly it's often not taken serious and a big taboo to speak about. Many people see it as self-inflicted. My girlfriend's mother doesn't believe in depression as a disease (see diseased thinking). It's a paradigm of irrationality that hurts people.