About the "all psych meds cause diabetes", because as I have stated, I am scared of diabetes, I have really checked the meds I am on. SSRI's do not cause diabetes by changing the metabolism of carbs like the new gen antipsychotics do. They only cause diabetes when they cause weight gain. If you do not gain weight on SSRI's you don't have a higher risk of diabetes. With for example Seroquel you can stay normal weight and get diabetes because you can no longer process carbs in a normal way.

Benzodiazepines have no direct correlation with diabetes at all.

Any exercise will help prevent diabetes.

Taking an antipsychotic with metabolic disturbances cause diabetes to a lesser degree if sugar is totally cut out and starchy carbs reduced (according to my old doc who reads everything on every new med that comes out).

I refuse to take prednisone and part reason is the risk of diabetes. So yea I don't take those decisions lightly. Meds for the mind are not different than meds for the body. Both can have side effects. Unfortunately the docs I have been in touch with do not prescribe an alternative to pred, like Imuran if you have not tried and failed pred. So I know how it is to leave a physical illness untreated.

However in my case, my mental illness is in much higher need of getting treated, I simply do not function without meds, without them I live in a kind of demented state with severe cognitive deficits and severe mental pain. So my choice... well lets face it, I'd rather depend on the meds and have a life. And yea, even accept the 5 or so pounds the Ritalin piled on.

Of course I don't like ANY risks caused by my meds, but I try to do what is least harmful for me. Sometimes it is clear cut, sometimes it is guesswork. But I have been shamed enough for taking meds. Real life is usually very unkind when it comes to that.

I work to keep my body healthy. It's not like I'm always on my butt and I almost never eat junk. So I don't feel I chose between mental and physical health. I try to do what is best both for my mind and body.

I could stand to lose a little, but knowing my all or nothing mind, I'm scared of start cutting calories. I need to know I'm not going overboard.