"What is non-medico doing pontificating about medications?"

The same thing Don Aitkin is doing when he pontificates about climate change.

Barrows need pushing.
Axes need grinding.

There are lots of things that potentially help with depression, not just medication or meditation, such as: finding meaning or purpose for example through helping others; solving problems contributing to the depression; a high quality diet; appropriate exercise; enough sleep; cognitive behavioural therapy; maintaining connections with people; and getting enough sunlight. Not only do these things generally have no adverse side effects, they mostly have positive side effects, such as better overall health. Regardless of who prescribes an anti-depressant, it's always a gamble. No prior experiments can be done about how it's going to affect a particular individual, because that always depends on the individual.

Thanks John this is a great article.