After a personal problem one day, I found myself standing in the doorway of my office and I heard myself announcing to my staff, “You know what? Maybe I should just blow my brains out!” This freaked me out so badly that I immediately grabbed my prescription bottle and flushed the pills down the toilet. (I later found out from a doctor that this is a bad idea. Rather than stop cold turkey, he said, I should have weaned myself off the drug under medical supervision.)

Right now, I'm not taking any medication. Some doctors might look at me and say I'm a perfect candidate for this drug or that drug, but I feel okay without them right now. Some people are opposed to any antidepressant medicine at all. That's their personal choice. But I'll tell you: I'm convinced that medications help some people function better, deal with depression, and enjoy life more.