I'm gonna throw end my opinion here for what it's worth: I went through a very, very serious depression of approximately 4 years duration, during which time my docs had me on a list of 8 to 12 SSRI and anti-psychotics, etc. I had serious side-effects within 12 to 48 hours of taking more than a couple of them as prescribed. On one, I couldn't shut my eyes without completely losing my balance and falling over - sitting or standing. And no, I was not drinking with the meds or using any unprescribed meds or herbal supplements. When a drug didn't cause a crazy and obvious side effect (but didn't demonstrate any real improvement in my condition either), it was just added to a growing list of what I was taking every day.
Probably the best thing that ever happened to me was losing my COBRA'd insurance entirely and having to go cold-turkey off all that [censored]. You know what? My depressive symtoms resolved by at least 75% WITHOUT the depression meds. And the improvement has be sustained and consistent for 2 years.
I'm sorry for the tragedy and I'm sorry that the pharmaceutical industry has continued to overmarket these medications with cute little cartoons and lovely voiceovers as almost entirely safe and effective.
Best,
Wolf