Sometimes an SSRI does start working instantly. That was my experience the first time I took Zoloft; I remember leaving work early that afternoon for a walk in

Sometimes an SSRI does start working instantly. That was my experience the first time I took Zoloft; I remember leaving work early that afternoon for a walk in the park, marveling at the way all the colors in the world had become more vivid. When I tried Zoloft again years later, during another bout of depression, I felt nothing: not right away, not for weeks after, no change at all. I suspect that there is not really any such ailment as depression, any more than there is any such disease as fever; that is, the pattern of symptoms we see represents a reaction to some underlying problem, and many different kinds of problems may cause similar symptoms, while requiring different solutions.