The politics of antidepressant medication is a political minefield, all the more dangerous because it seems everyone has to have a strong opinion, regardless of a professional or personal experience. While it's true that the efficacy of SSRIs is not an open and shut case, skepticism such as yours is not exactly the medical consensus either. Some of those meta studies with unfavorable results don't make much of an attempt identify where ordinary low mood ends and clinical depression begins, which further complicates the research.
With all due respect, as I'm sure you mean well, I rather doubt you have ever experienced anxiety or depression on the scale addressed in this post. Low mood, if not excessively acute and prolonged, is quite normal and probably won't see much benefit from medication. Clinical depression and anxiety can be absolutely devastating, and while it's not the only coping strategy, SSRI medication along with behavioral/talking therapy work wonders for a lot of otherwise desperate people.
People for whom getting out of bed every day is remarkable achievement of willpower, and who always seem to struggle to reach an emotional baseline. People who are almost constantly doused in worry, panic and despair, even when spending quality time with those they love. People who have tried everything else to no lasting effect. And yes, people who are so desperate to make the pain stop that they would consider killing themselves. Is this your life? Would you tell those with Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia that their suffering is simply due to a pathological awareness of the disorders themselves?
Warning the public against overmedication is one thing, but I for one am fed up with the stigma attached to seeking medical help for mental illness. The GP is reaching out to those for whom these treatments could literally save lives.
But I'm sure they just need more exercise.