^ For me, I must have a short memory...for the immediate time after a severe bout with depression, I remember how bad I feel and will do anything to avoid it, but soon I will forget or stop caring.

I think it takes time to learn to manage without meds, and it is situation dependent. I coped medicine free through-out my childhood, teen and college years, but these past months I have done better on meds since I've living at home and struggling to find some direction in life. I face a lot of triggers on a daily basis so without meds, it is easy for me to get sucked into bad depression. I've been told I'll needs meds forever, but I think as I get older, I'll get better at "living" without letting depression, anxiety and all my other wonderful symptoms get in the way. It's about learning to not let certain things bother you, even if they are out of the ordinary, they aren't you ordinary.