Just to weigh in on this;  My mother in law was always depressed.   As long
as I ever knew her she had some degree of depression.   When she began to
develop alzheimers disease, she got more depressed than ever, seeing herself
lose more and more of her independence, her autonomy.   She threatened
suicide every single day, telling us, telling her neighbors, telling her
friends, she was going to jump off the roof of her house.

Before we finally took her to live with us, she had a prescription from her
doctor for Zoloft, but she would forget when to take it or how much or how
often.   She would live in the same filthy clothing for weeks.  She never
ever walked her dog and the house reeked of urine.   She wasn't eating
properly at all, and when people gave her food, she would give it to the
dog.

We regularized her life.  She got good food, bathed regularly, and had clean
clothing to wear.   We also saw to it that she took her medication
regularly.   She was a lot happier.   She still threatened suicide and cried
a lot, but not as much as before.   The doctor increased the dosage of her
antidepressant medication.   Finally she stopped feeling so bad.   She began
to feel happier and there were even a few times I walked in on her and found
her singing happily to herself.

It was a blessing to have pharmaceutical assistance at a horrible time in
her life.   It made her last few years bearable for her and for us.   As her
illness progressed there were changes and anti-delusional medication was
added.   I have no idea how any of us, or she herself, would have coped with
the great suffering of alzheimers disease without medication.   I feel
deeply sorry for those who had this illness in the past when these drugs
were not in existence.

They are not for everybody.   They are not needed for everybody.  But for
those who do need them, they are a blessing.