Yes, it's a tradeoff for quality of life. Any active medication has side-effects. But if the depression—even though it may have an unknown cause—prevents a per

Yes, it's a tradeoff for quality of life. Any active medication has side-effects. But if the depression—even though it may have an unknown cause—prevents a person from functioning in life, then the medication might be worth it. But it's a judgement call to be made by the patient, with proper guidance by his/her care team. In many cases, increasing the risk of a severe disease 20 years from now is preferable than losing job/house/life. It's easy to criticize these patients or their care team as doing too little but sometimes, a baby step is the only realistic step that can be taken, and there may even be some urgency associated with it. Having said that of course, it's important to follow-up and continue to dig deeper in what can be done from a mental health perspective. An antidepressor may be the band-aid to regain sanity and some stability, and from that place, the next steps can be taken. The key is to not give up in that journey towards health, but that is easier said than done. Disclaimer: not a doctor, just a patient advocate.