Tim was diagnosed with depression two years ago. He had been feeling overwhelmed about work, and one day things reached a point where he felt he couldn't function any more. He was offered CBT and decided to try that before thinking about taking antidepressants. Although it was of some help, he went back to see the GP and was prescribed sertraline. Tim later had psychotherapy, which helped him gain a sense of self awareness and understanding. He recently stopped taking antidepressants.

Charlotte first experienced depression when she was 16. She didn't understand why she was feeling a persistent low mood. She had begun self-harming. She eventually saw a GP when she was 19, as a friend had suggested she should talk to a doctor about how she was feeling. Her GP diagnosed depression and prescribed an antidepressant but she experienced severe side effects and it did not appear to improve her mood. When her doctor changed her to venlafaxine it seemed to lift her mood almost immediately. Since then she has taken venlafaxine intermittently when she has had bouts of depression.

Peter first experienced depression when he was a teenager but he did not seek help from a GP until he was at university. He was initially prescribed fluoxetine which wasn't entirely effective. After trying this for a while he self-referred to see a family friend who is a psychiatrist who recommended a change to venlafaxine, which he finds works well to alleviate depressive symptoms.