Excellent thread, because we don't deal with this topic nearly enough as we should.
My depression has actually improved although I still get my moments from time to time. Leaving my old religion behind (that alone is a story in itself
) and the ending of a six year marriage has been very traumatic at times to say the least. There's a lot of other stuff from the past I won't get into, but there you have it.
I weaned myself of fluoxetine anti depressants several months ago and don't regret it at all. In fact I haven't taken any pharmaceautical medicines for anything for the longest. I've gone the natural herbal route and I'd strongly recommend it for folk. I still have a long way to go and initially I did need all that pharmaceutical stuff, but when you get stronger and more confident then I'd recommend looking at alternatives because western medicine in actuality isn't good for the body long term and just provides temporary relief.
Also, talking to a trusted individual helps. But be warned though: Some people are actually sharks who come out the minute they sense blood in the waters and yes that could be some of your so called friends and even a family member, so be don't talk your business unless you REALLY know and trust the person. I've had to learn this the hard way.
Also, physical exercise, meditation, incense, reading about the laws of attraction and how your thoughts can play a role in governing your reality is a HUGE help with depression. I'm into spirituality and there's a lot of shows I can recommend on blogtalkradio that folk can listen to.
BTW, I can't recommend Djehuty's products enough. He's the brotha who left dherbs and set up his own company. I searched depression in the site's search engine and he has a list of natural products are very affordable and way better than anything you could get from a doctor:
http://www.dhealthstore.com/clients...lt&search_in_description=1&keyword=depression
I'm a fighter which is something I got from my mother and although I've contemplated suicide like a lot of people, there's always that part of me that sees the huge potential and fights to reach that stage. I'm not going out so easily no matter how shytty life is sometimes.