Definitely prefer psychologists and therapists over psychiatrists, but don't discount how much something like an SSRI can help

But how does one know? According to some studies, spontaneous remission happens in about half the cases of depression in a given year.

It's happened to me plenty of times. That's why I refuse to medications. All I have to do is just wait it out.

I am not claiming no one gets any benefits, rather how can one be certain the benefits are actually not from something else? If the goal is to improve, then I suppose it does not truly matter. But I just like to understand things when I can.

I regularly had a depression for years without even knowing it was a depression. Until a neurologist told me, after examination of brain imaging, it's best to take this pill for at least a week. Only after feeling its effect, I knew it was really depression causing the symptoms, even though I did not feel depressed! I felt exhausted and stressed and had several physical side effects like dizzyness and stomach ache.

Part of diagnostic criteria is how long something lasts.

If you have a really good week you aren't going to get diagnosed with mania.

If you have a really good month where you quit your job, move to Italy, and try to start a new job carving marble statues (and you've never carved stone in your life), well those will all be factors in any diagnoses given.

On the other hand, if you feel sad because your dog died, no one should be writing you a script for anything.

But if your dog died and you can't even function enough to go to work for a month, yeah it is probably temporary, but maybe some help is warranted, be that therapy or meds.

The one thing they will all agree on is that you need pills of one sort or another.

Of course, because prescribing pills is the sole job of a psychiatrist. Go to a phycologist or therapist of you want to try to talk it out. If talking doesn't work, they'll send you to a psychiatrist for medication.