Antidepressants are mystery drugs. Science does not understand depression or how anti-depressants work; all we have is clinical data that says n% more people taking this drug recovered from depression compared to the placebo. Sometimes n% is only 1-2%. The "chemical imbalance" line perpetuated by the drug companies is a myth designed to lower people's resistance to taking the drugs, because if they told the truth--that science cannot tell the difference between a depressed brain and a normal brain, and no one quite knows how or why most of these drugs work--a lot of people would not take them. They have tons of side effects, some of them quite nasty, and they are usually difficult to stop, especially Cymbalta and Effexor. Attempting to withdraw from them can cause even worse depression than what you started with, which doctors will cite as proof you "need" the drug, when it's really the drug making you feel that way. There is data that the overwhelming majority of depression episodes resolve on their own without medication, and that you're more likely to stay depressed if you remain on an anti-depressant for long-term. These drugs also don't fix any of the underlying problems, and often work by numbing your emotions. That, the weight gain, and the sexual dysfunction has destroyed many a relationship and marriage. All of this said, there are certainly people who have benefited from these drugs and whose lives have been saved by them. But they are never a long-term solution and should never be taken by themselves without therapy.
Dude are you just making stuff up?
You can tell if a person has depression from a brain scan.
How antidepressants work is not a mystery, they have solid chemistry behind them.
Most depressive episodes do not go away on their own and do require medication and therapy.
Yes withdrawl is a thing but you should always be weened off of any medication, even when switching to a new one. ---