> But not even trying? I don't think that's a rational and informed decision.

My GP told me that for mild to cases of mild to moderate depression, he’s hesitant about introducing antidepressants-be said they can worsen concentration at work, impairing performance, thereby introducing additional life stressors, leading to more depression not less. A person seeking antidepressants who was dissuaded from doing so by that advice is arguably making a much more informed choice than if he’d just given them what they wanted from the start.

Of course, there comes a degree of severity (drawing that line is sometimes a subjective judgement call) when he doesn’t have these qualms any more.

Although (this is my view, don’t know whether he agrees), if one’s situation is severe enough to warrant trying antidepressants, they might not be enough. While I’m no great fan of antipsychotics, if I was in a real crisis situation, I’d much rather something that delivers noticeable results right away, than something which might take 2-4 weeks to do nothing.

I do agree with what you're saying about severity. For something like seasonal affection disorder or a moderate depression, you'll probably not want to reach for SSRIs etc as the first cause of action, much like a gastric bypass isn't the right tool for someone who is slightly overweight. But it is a good tool to have for severe cases, and the idea of "it's not real weightloss if you didn't achieve it through power of will alone" is damaging.