SSRI's and the like will not help you if you do not have a chemical imbalance which you said you do not have.

How would I know if I have a chemical imbalance? I mean, there's not a simple way to test that, is there? In fact, I'm lead to believe that the whole chemical imbalance theory is complete bullshit.

That said, a depressed person's brain is different than non-depressed. I wouldn't say that's an imbalance, it's just a reflection of who that person is. And I understand what you mean by organic depression...but it's more complicated than that.

I would say my depression is partly organic, but also circumstantial. You could say that circumstances affecting me this way makes my depression organic altogether. And I don't understand why SSRIs would help someone who was always depressed more vs. someone who is more depressed because their life sucks for various reasons. That's kind of what I'm asking in the original post - could SSRIs help me?

I feel like it's more of a crapshoot with SSRIs, so maybe I should just try them again and see what happens? I just have major doubts. Also they will not cause serotonin syndrome if you have a 'normal' amount of serotonin. That is not how the brain and these drugs work. Depressed people don't just have a lower amount of serotonin, that's a falsehood. That's not the reason for their depression.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to try a therapist. It does sound like what I need. I just have a hard time believing that they'll change my mind in any way. But maybe.

Question for anybody reading: If I saw a therapist, it would be completely confidential, as far as medical records go, right? Like they wouldn't have any ability to talk to my psychiatrist? Or would they share records?