I have chronic depression / anxiety, and it seriously bites. Right now I'm trying to get OFF medications due to some new findings suggesting that SSRI-class drugs aren't as helpful as we think they are. Since I'm not in a single depressive episode, I have to think of the really long term.
The most important thing would be to find a healthcare team that you're comfortable with. SSRIs, SNRIs, and tricyclics (and MAOIs) can cause addiction that will be tough to ride out later (trust me), so make sure you like who you're going to see. Look for psychiatrists that are willing to entertain lots of questions and willing to say "OK" if you say you're not comfortable with certain products. For example, I had sleeping problems and needed a sleep aid, but I was dead set against Ambien because sleepwalking is common in my family and Ambien can exacerbate that kind of thing. If my psychiatrist had insisted on my trying Ambien first, I would have left, hands down. Don't forget that psychologists and even psych RNs can know a lot about drug treatments (even more than psychiatrists and family physicians), and just need to sign-off of an MD. So you can look in other places too.
Definitely get a therapist. Therapy is based on trust and feeling comfortable and confident in someone, so definitely don't be afraid to ask for a recommendation to someone else if you don't like who you get the first time. I went through 3 or 4 before I found someone I could trust, and I felt bad about it at first, but honestly it was worth the effort. I felt better and more confident in my future after only 2 sessions with my current one, where I struggled through around 8 sessions with one of the others.
Although not a lot is known about depression, what a LOT of researchers agree on is that therapy is super important. I'd advise to get on that ASAP, even before thinking about drugs. Although if you get attacks of really intense anxiety, definitely get something for that too.
Since we're on a Disney forum, I'll also share something from that perspective! I had a bad series of panic/anxiety attacks that would trigger my depression at Disney, and it was seriously not fun. That was for about 2 trips (7-9 day trips, one a year). The third year, I got something for anxiety and took it as soon as I started feeling wound up, and that helped more than anything. It helped to stop or slow down the depression spiral, too, so if you find out that you're like me and the two trigger each other, maybe look into taking something as-needed when on big trips.
I also bring stuff into the parks that will help me get out of a funk, like stickers (I love to give them away) or chocolate.
Best of luck!
