For decades, the number of Americans turning to antidepressants has grown quietly and steadily, and now that growth has drawn the attention of clinicians, researchers, and patients alike. The question being asked is not whether depression is real or whether medication works, but whether the prescription has become too easy — a first answer where it might better serve as one answer among many. At the intersection of insurance structures, limited therapy access, and the human desire to relieve suffering quickly, American medicine is being asked to examine whether it has confused the treatment of