'As quickly as the anxiety took hold, it disappeared' … says Georgia Barlow, 33, from London, who has taken antidepressants on and off for 10 years

Ever had one of those days? You miss your train, get a roasting from your boss for being late then have a blazing row with your boyfriend.

Throw in the worst bout of PMT ever, multiply that by 10, and you’re coming close to how I feel, every day, when I’m in the grip of depression.

Thankfully, those days no longer stretch into months.

Now I can stop my depression in its tracks.

My secret weapon? Paroxetine, one of the ‘new wave’ antidepressants which, according to a recent study, are about as effective as Smarties.

I was 23 the first time I felt the full force of depression. I’d been with my first serious boyfriend for three months when he snapped at me one day.

I can’t even remember what he said, but I do recall an overwhelming feeling of panic. What if he’d gone off me?

Negative thoughts suddenly flooded my mind.

The more I worried, the more irritated my boyfriend was.

I became needy and jealous, which led to arguments.

I started having heart palpitations, felt alienated from everyone, and cried constantly.

Then the panic attacks kicked in.

I’d be in town shopping when my chest would tighten and I’d feel paralysed by a sudden, unexplained fear.

I started drinking more and more, and one morning woke up with vague memories of wandering into a busy road during a drunken row.

It was the wake-up call I needed and I saw my GP, who prescribed Paroxetine.

Almost as quickly as the anxiety took hold, it melted away.

Within four weeks it felt as if the whole eight months had been a bad dream.

Six months later I weaned myself off the drug with no side effects.

The feelings have occasionally returned, but the pills help me through them now.

Even when my boyfriend and I split up six years ago, I was fine.

It helps that I’ve been with an incredibly supportive partner for a year now.

I had a relapse before Christmas – I don’t know what caused it – so I’m taking Paroxetine again.

The idea that it’s the thought of taking these drugs that tricks people into feeling better makes me angry.

I’m not suggesting antidepressants are right for everyone, but they are for me.

And I’m not the only one.

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