Antidepressant drugs are not happy pills, and they are not a panacea. They are come with risks as well as benefits, and should only ever be taken under a doctor?s supervision. They are, however, one treatment option. Taking medication is not a sign of personal weakness - and there is good evidence that they do help. Whether medication is the best treatment option depends on how severe the person's depression is, their history of illness, their age (psychological treatments are usually the first choice for children and adolescents), and their personal preferences. Most people do best with a combination of medication and therapy. For adults with severe depression, says Dr Petros Markou, there is strong evidence that antidepressants are more effective than any other treatment. If depression is mild or moderate, psychotherapy alone may be sufficient, though even in this case, short-term drug treatment or herbal therapy can help people get to the point where they can engage in therapy and get some exercise (which is also thought to help improve mood). There are several different kinds of antidepressant drugs, which work in different ways. The most famous are the Prozac family of drugs, or the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Older drugs include the tricyclic antidepressants and the monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs); the newest are the serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). A popular herbal antidepressant is St John's Wort, or Hypericum
