I get frustrated that when I say I feel poorly, somebody starts chirping in with "Well, it sounds like your meds need adjusting."

I am told that I have TRD. That leads straight to "Well, maybe it's time you tried ECT."

I heard of a study once that found that patients felt better just by being informed that their doctors were thinking about them, compared to a control group.

Dr. Mintz's point resonates with me. I think the psychopharmacological paradigm is a bit overly ascendant these days in structuring what care is delivered. I don't know that there is a lot we can do about that in the short run. The reasons for that, IMHO, are noted well in the post by Wysteria.