“Is one dependent on anti-depressants for life?”

Definitely talk to your psychiatrist about this since there is no specific answer without all the information.

Many people. About 1/3 do need to stay on them for their lifetime, based on numerous diagnostic factors. Others can use them for a period of time, typically not less than 6 months. Speak to your prescriber about his/her recommendations.

FROM THE MENTORING I RECEIVED FROM THE PSYCHIATRIST I WAS AFFILIATED IN PRACTICE IS AS FOLLOWS; once the desirable results are obtained the individual should stay on the medication for one year from the time the symptoms disappeared before gradually decreasing the dosage. If the depressive symptoms reoccur, one should continue to remain on the lowest dosage needed.

Anti-depressants don't have great research results, but they work for some people. In the old days, people would simply cry until they didn't need to anymore, unless crying was unacceptable. The trick is you must cry over the original injury, not recent events that trigger depression. Sometimes the original injury precedes memory, or that is, language. It is possible to retrieve pre-language memory, but it takes working with a specialist (not a hypnotist). Or, one can simply focus on the emotional pain, itself, and cry. The emotional pain will include a cognitive conclusion, which was drawn from the original trauma, such as "I'm unloveable," "The world is unsafe," "I can't trust anyone," etc. If she could focus on the pain to see what is in it cognitively to identify the lie she tells herself or believes, and then cry, she wouldn't have to have the actual memory. The problem is, you can't do this on anti-depressants, so she would have to begin withdrawal to try it out. Withdrawal would need to be under her psychiatrist's supervision. She might want to show this to a trauma therapist and ask if s/he could support this process.

See this link for a better understanding of your Qi:

https://www.addictioncenter.com/stimulants/antidepressants/

That really depends on her and her recovery. What happens is that we end up being immune to them and doctors change to another type and so on. Many naturally become dependent on them and that isn’t so good but like anything mental health has become a business like them all. What happens is that our natural components that give us our natural chemicals become dormant and so forth and we need to keep taking them unless we can recover quickly and have the right doctor and therapist.

Psychotropic medication is typically used temporarily in conjunction to individual psychotherapy to help patients cope with her feelings while they work on the healing process in therapy. However, certain diagnoses such as bipolar, schizophrenia, and psychotic disorders may require long-term medication use. This is a really good question for your psychiatrist, you might want to consult with them to develop a better understanding.