Just caught up on this thread. So many interesting view points. I'm not prepared to give up my meds at the moment - they work and the risk of things going badly is too much at the moment. But I like the idea that at some point I WILL get to try going off them. To be honest I'm not sure how much of my recovery has been from being on the right meds and how much has been through learning better coping mechanisms and confronting the triggers behind my depressions.
As to the "you can do whatever you want" idea. I think it is a dangerous lie. You definitely have choices, not always good choices - but there are definitely limits on what you can do.