Holistic approaches could provide answers.

• Position: Depression and Stress

A major cause of depression is trapped negative emotions from past experiences, yet most anti-depressants do not get to the root of the problem, according to Bradley Nelson, a holistic specialist in the emerging fields of bio-energetic medicine and energy psychology and author of The Emotion Code. He charges that pharmaceutical companies would have patients believe the best way to get well is to take their products but, like all drugs, anti-depressants come with a long list of potential side effects, plus one big one that often is overlooked.

"Masking symptoms with medications can be a bit like putting a piece of duct tape over that annoying oil light on your car that turned on recently. You may cover it up for a while, but eventually your car will stop running."

Nelson offers these tips for a happier, healthier outlook on life:

Make a list. "People suffering from depression tend to be focusing on the negative things in their lives rather than counting their blessings. One of the most important things you can do is to make a list of the things in your life that are actually good."

Choose emotions. "Most people have this mistaken belief that our emotions choose us, that we don't have any control. When you are depressed, often the depression you are feeling is the result of a number of different emotions that you have chosen to feel."

Release emotional baggage. "The most common underlying reason for depression I have found is the emotional baggage people are carrying from those emotional events that we go through in our...