Most Depressed Adults in the U.S. Remain Untreated
I&#x27;d wager that the vast majority of people that would test as being depressed are depressed because they are in a crappy life situation for one reason or another.  I was depressed to the point where I barely left the apartment for 2 years, other than to go to work.  You know what got me out of it?  I bumped into an old friend who had just come back to the US from an extended backpacking trip.  I ended up quitting my job and backpacking for 3 months.  It totally changed my perspective on life, and I met my now-wife, who was also backpacking, and we currently have a kid and I have a much better job than I had before I left.  Turns out I was depressed because I was bored and lonely, and all I really needed was a kick in the ass to get moving again.<p>There are obviously lots of people who seem to be depressed out of all proportion to what&#x27;s going on in their life, and would benefit from antidepressants to get them going again, but I really don&#x27;t think that it should be a first resort for all of them.