My boyfriend has been depressed since he was 7, due to an extremely damaging relationship with his father, who is no longer in his life. We're 17 now. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as well.
He sees a therapist, and he's getting a psychiatric assessment done, and he talks to me about how he's feeling and what's been bothering him. He says he's been feeling worse and worse for the past few months, even though he says nothing significantly upsetting has occurred lately.
He's strongly against taking anti-depressants, because he doesn't want his feelings to be caused artificially, and he believes his body should fight this off on its own. He feels this way for any type of medication, really.
What are some alternatives to anti-depressants that could help him? And what else could I do to help him get through this. He's a really amazing guy, and he really deserves to be happy. I want to do everything possible on my part to help him.