I can appreciate your experience but it is disarming that you are being so vocal about it as it could deter people who are in dire need of antidepressants from trying them. Unfortunately many people are not a lucky as you and all the walks in the world will not relieve their depression. Also, it is human nature to want to take care of our problems without having to take medication so stories like yours just help prevent them from taking medication. No one wants to think they have a defect that requires they take medicine. I really appreciate that you did not give a negative opinion of medication but just said it did not work for you. Thank you.

Robin. , san diego , USA, CA

I found both approaches worked well in tandem. I was prescribed Prozac for soul-destroying depression following childbirth and a failing marriage. The medication did not make me 'happy' but did allow me to cope with daily life. Correct medication coupled with daily long walks - walks which I looked forward to enough to make me want to get out of bed in the morning, a feat in itself during depression - brought me back to life. Even walking in the pouring rain was, and still is, a treat.

Lorraine, London, UK

Drugs don't work for everyone, but that does not mean it works for no one. Lifestyle changes and cognitive therapy are a lot more important in recovery from depression for the majority of patients, but some sufferers do have a genuine chemical imbalance which needs to be addressed directly.

Antidepressants are not "happy pills", despite what is written about them in the press. They are designed to treat what is a very serious and disabling condition. Like any drug, there is a risk that they are overprescribed or given to the wrong people, but that doesn't make them redundant. Anybody who has experienced true clinical depression knows it is nothing at all like unhappiness.

Alice, Edinburgh, UK