The research seems to show that most people who don't take SSRIs recover from a bout of depression in about two years. If you take SSRIs then you partially recover after a few weeks, but the underlying problem doesn't resolve.
This was true to my experience. The anti-depressants were successful in numbing the pain and they arguably did their job (they kept me going in the absence of the support I really needed). The several years of psychotherapy and development of some very warm and loving friendships that then followed has allowed much deeper change to happen.
The importance of connection and trust, at least from my experience, cannot be stressed enough.
I'm assuming you've read the book, and so actually have some idea of what this 'research' it probably refers to is. If it doesn't exist outside of the book, you may have been tricked.
https://smile.amazon.com/Anatomy-Epidemic-Bullets-Psychiatri...