There are serious discrepancies between the anectotal evidence for antidepressants (my own included) and the literature, which says they are only very slightly better than placebos for all but a few, very severe cases of depression.
The analogy to fixing a processor is a very poor one. Applying a single small molecule to a system like the human brain is more closely analogous to kicking a malfunctioning television. Seratonin for instance has diverse functions at different times and places. The "Seratonin Theory" of depression arose because compounds which increased seratonin were observed to aid depression. Recently, anti-depressants which lower seratonin have been observed. The theory has been compared to the conclusion that an absence of aspirin in the teeth causes tooth-aches. Drug companies are now moving away from small-molecule approach to treating psychiatric illness towards electromagnetic stimulation implants.
Anecdotal, I know several people who have taken antidepressants and believe the effect is simply to disrupt thought in general and thereby inhibit rumination. Most of them do believe the drugs helped, at least in the short term.
I say all this not to dissuade you from taking antidepressants but to warn you not to think of depression as a simple matter of "chemical imbalance". Even if one does exist, in some or all cases, there is no reason to believe it causative, rather than as a marker for some underlying process. Fixing yourself will not be a matter of kicking the television - you'll have to rewire it as well.
Can you point to a good summary or meta-analysis of the literature of you're referring to? From what I understand this is a hotly contested point - and very relevant to many people's choices!
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.