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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Lucy Cavendish

You can’t just cheer up people who have depression. There’s a key role for antidepressants

The seriously depressed just don’t have the capacity to go out and do a bit of painting.
The seriously depressed just don’t have the capacity to go out and do a bit of painting. Photograph: SeventyFour Images/Alamy

Imagine this scenario: a client walks into my therapy room. They are are listless and don’t engage in eye contact. They move slowly and seem heavy, even though they may be physically slight. Their shoulders are hunched and look exhausted, unhealthy, disengaged. Eventually they shuffle across the floor, sink down on to the sofa, close their eyes and sigh.

As a psychotherapist I have seen depression many a time. It’s obvious when someone is suffering from it. It has permeated them to the core and they no longer recognise themselves, often saying, “What’s wrong with me? This doesn’t feel like me.”

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