I take a HUGE amount of drugs each day for my bipolar. It seems to be the only thing that can help me. My husband & children are horrified by it. I have a zip loc bag full of pill bottles in my purse when I travel.

I do think there is a biological basis for mental illness as well as environmental triggers. For example, my mother had bipolar & was abusive, committed suicide & so my childhood was traumatic (plus an alcoholic father who didn't do much to protect us kids). I think both the genes & the environment combined to trigger my bipolar which started with a suicide attempt at 15.

I went through YEARS of therapy & tried all sorts of anti-deprssants until I was finally diagnosed with bp & started experimenting (cuz that's what it was) to find the right combo of meds for me. Once that was achieved I no longer needed to go to therapy--that's just me--most docs recommend therapy & medication for bp consistently. I found I was no longer ruminating on all the awful aspects of my life & could start to feel some joy. I'd never felt like that before so I'm a big believer in meds for those that are benefitted by them.

I've read that some people can "retrain" their brains by taking AD's for at least a year & then the brain will start producing the chemical that is needed on its own. Both my dids have had periods of depression where they needed to be on AD's, but thery are both drug-free now. They did take them for at least a year. Hope that is the case for you. I WISH it were the case for me.--Suzy