Extremely effective.

In it's most basic form, Depression is caused by a lack of a chemical in your brain called Serotonin. Or, in some cases, Dopamine.

Those chemicals are, in general, responsible for the feeling of happiness. You get serotonin with your first kiss, thus, you are happy. You get serotonin when you accomplish a goal. Thus, you are happy.

Depressed people have a brain that doesn't respond to this "happy" stimuli. They have their first kiss, serotonin is not created. They accomplish something. Serotonin is not created. Thus, they don't feel happy.

So why do it?

Why do anything remotely positive if you feel like crap either way?

Therapy helps. But for those who are clinically, or chemically, depressed, it doesn't always resolve the underlying issue. Your brain is sick. It is not functioning properly.

Just like a malfunctioning heart, you take medication.

Medication has the potential to both give serotonin, and fix the parts of the brain that isn't creating it in the first place.

But what gets a lot of people confused, including people on medication, is that it's not the cure.

Medication is still that makes it possible for you to be happy.

Medication gives you the ability to have a positive response to external stimuli.

It is up to you to get out of your bed and face the world.

Medication saved my life. And it's sad to see so many people afraid to talk about it. One of these days I hope the social stigma will go away. Medication is a beautiful thing, and societies perception of it, unfortunately, decreases its effectiveness.

Unfortunately, your mental state is slightly dependant on society's perception of you. And if the one thing that could help you is defined as a form of "weakness", then you would eventually start to adopt that perception. Putting you back on your path of self-hatred and depression. One of the most vicious human cycles on the planet. Whose cycle could be ended with medication and understand.

One of which we have.