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I've struggled with depression on and off for the last eight years.
Usually, if the depression is due to a certain set of circumstances, I would not recommend medication. I had a friend whose doctor prescribed her anti-depressants simply because she broke up with her boyfriend, which I think is silly . . . we need to learn how to deal with bad situations without medication. However, if you were depressed before the situation happened (in your case, the breakup, or the car wreck, or whatever) -- then medication might be a good choice. It also might be a good choice if you think that your problems have triggered a case of clinical depression.
Basically, I think you have to decide if your problems triggered some sort of depression, or if your sadness is just a natural reaction to the stress of the problems you're facing. If it's serious depression, it's affecting your ability to deal with everyday situations, and you don't think you'll be able to fix things by yourself, medication would be a good option. If you think that you're just having a rough time right now because of all your problems but you'll come out of it okay on your own, you'll probably benefit more from not taking medication. If your counselor is recommending anti-depressants, he or she probably feels like you fit in the first category.
It's good that you're getting counseling, though -- that's the first step. I hope you start feeling better . . . just remember that millions of people deal with this and you are definitely not alone.
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