I have treated hundreds of people for depression as a psychiatrist. Antidepressants work better in the field than in studies. These studies use people who have failed many treatments and are often chronically sick as it is difficult to recruit people for possibly taking a placebo while they are ill. And while side effects may be severe, in point of fact they rarely are. However, I wish I had psychotherapists specializing in depression and CBT in particular, to whom I could easily refer people with new, non-severe patients or patients with recurrence as the benefits of therapy outlast the treatment. Something that is not true of meds.