I just think sometimes that people can be quick to assume someone who says, 'it is not my fault, I have this or that mental illness and it impacts my life in this or that way, I can't help it' is using an illness to justify something they think, feel or have experienced about managing their life with a legitimate illness.

We don't know all the reasons why someone explains or identifies themselves in the context of an illness. The reasons are too numerous to mention. Some have been mentioned by other posters. It is easy to make the jump to think an explanation is nothing more then an excuse but I don't think it is fair to make that determination about someone without knowing a lot of details.

Unless I know the intimate details of the effects of an illness on an individual, what treatment they receive, how they have responded to any treatment, what support they have in their life etc., I am not in a position to assess or offer a point of view about where they are in their management of the illness. Even then I have no right to measure them against anyone else. No matter how much 'evidence' there appears to be to support an assessment I can not be of service to someone experiencing a mental illness by making quick to judge assumptions.

I wonder if by assuming a person is avoiding treatment or resisting 'doing the work', those who are getting relief and seeing benefits aren't on some level looking for cause to pat themselves on the back and toot their own horn. How else would the quick to judge assumption be useful to anyone except the observer?

Perhaps I am oversensitive to judgement and therefore sensitive to others who might share my reactions to the OP's query. It feels uncomfortable to think that some people here might feel justified in classifying me in some way based on what they observe about me. I get enough of that from people who don't know better.

I appreciate that there was no intent to offend but I think it should be expected to go with the territory of such a sensitive query. I just don't see the value of a public discussion other then to support people who make those kinds of generalized assumptions.