I've experienced the good and the bad sides of antidepressants. These drugs do have there place and can provide help to those who really need it, but they are not a panacea. They work best when accompanied by counseling to help modify behavior as well and many of the commonly prescribed antidepressants strong side effects.
As I started out with, I have first hand experience with anti-depressants as I was on them for two periods in my life. Both times were periods where I spiraled down into a very deep depression that was impacting my relationship with my friends and wife and productivity at work. Each time I went on the antidepressants, the drugs did help me emerge from the depths of depression that I was in and start finding enjoyment in life again. I know these drugs can be helpful as they did help me emerge from some very dark places two times in my life.
However, antidepressants like all drugs have side effects and depending on the type of antidepressant you are taking, these side effects can be severe. Many of the most prescribed antidepressants are of the SSRI, (serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) family of drugs and there are some very strong side effects common to all SSRI drugs. The antidepressants I was on, Paxil the first time and Effexor the second are members of the SSRI family and once I started feeling better from taking them, I started to have more and more issues with a couple of the common SSRI side effects. The side effects I suffered the most with were heavy weight gain and sexual dysfunction, neither of which is fun to go through. Both times I decided to discontinue taking the medication due to the side effects and had the doctor start weaning me off of them. Another issue with SSRIs is that they have serious withdrawal effects if you stop taking them cold turkey. I remember with Effexor, it took over two months to safely wean myself off the medication.
I don't think anyone should be prescribed antidepressants without going through counseling as well to deal with the issues. Of course, I didn't follow that rule when I was on antidepressants and that may be why I needed to go back on them again. While they helped me get out of a dark place, I never dealt with the issues nor learned new behaviors that would stop me from going back to that dark place. At least I can say that I have been to counseling since then, and I don't see myself needing antidepressants again in the future.
I agree with others who say that antidepressants are over prescribed. Giving someone a drug is much cheaper than the cost of seeing a therapist, even though a therapist is likely what they need in the long run. Still, there are people who do need these drugs and studies have shown that taking an antidepressant while attending therapy provides a much higher rate of success than either therapy or drugs alone.
I do believe your parents are wrong Mr. Apple for telling you to just deal with it, when it comes to any emotional issues you are having. I'm not saying they should have you put on drugs like your friends, but if you are having serious emotional issues, then you should be seeing some type of counselor who can help you learn how to cope with what you are going through.