The thing to bear in mind is that you are definitely not the only person who feels that life has passed them by - whatever age they may be - and that the future holds nothing but more of the same. Your GP IS the first port of call. As Nailit says, anti-depressants do have side effects and people react to these in different ways. But for lots of people, they do work; they take the edge off this feeling of apathy and uselessness. In time, you may feek ready for one-to-one consultation, then, who knows, maybe even group therapy. Doing nothing and dwelling on your problem will only make it worse, believe me. It took me almost 2 years before i sought help and my advice now would always be to seek medical help a.s.a.p. Good luck.