Doctors prescribe antidepressants as a lifesaving measure. A person suffering depression has an absurdly higher probability of committing suicide than somebody who doesn't. In fact, an overwhelming majority of people who commit suicide suffer from depression. When a doctor prescribes antidepressants, they aren't rubbing their hands together waiting for a big payout from big pharma. They are doing it because they want the patient to not die, which is a noble gesture on behalf of a doctor.
Antidepressants "don't work" for a lot of people. I've known people who have been on them for several decades and have remained perpetually miserable. The probability of somebody eventually managing to correct the problems causing their depression is grim, but it's no where near as grim as the probability that they would commit suicide without the medication.
Antidepressants are like floatation devices for people lost at sea. You are much less likely to drown with one, but you still need to paddle ashore yourself. Some people just float there getting knocked back and forth by the ocean forever. That's a pretty glum way to be. But at least society doesn't have to deal with the weight of that person's death.
