you should read "when panic attacks". this is a great book that preaches cbt which is all about retraining your mind. this coupled with therapy has been proven to be the better remedy for depression. of course in some instances medication should be prescribed, but not like its going out of style.
i use to suffer and this book helped me.

when i joined aa and quit drinking 14 years ago, depression hit me like a mfer,but i'd been depressed for so long it seemed natural...went to aa meetings at least once every day and sometimes 2 or 3 per day. after reading the 'the big book'and listening to other folks it became obvious to me that i was depressed,paranoid,and all of the above.talking about scared,i had no idea what was going on..BUUT,after app 6 months every bit of that stuff left me.. moral of the story is,if you've got problems don't try and cover it up with booze,cause it'll only get worse......this is a huge topic in aa circles.....great thread. hang in there til yer ass falls off and remember one thing,we're all in this together and old hog nuts is pulling for ye...'keep the continue'