@raspberrytorte, people take bipolar medications because they do help many people and that's a better solution than severe episodes. Severe episodes can lead to financial losses, relationship issues, losses of jobs, arrests, sometimes venial disease, and/or possible injury or death. I agree that some medications seem the worse of the evils, but not all. As for risks for not taking meds, you never know until the damage or death is done. I've learned all of this the hard way. My family lost my nephew to depression. Obviously I was lucky to live to learn. My nephew was not. We are especially vulnerable when stopping medications too quickly or without adequate substitutions. Part of that is a reaction to the withdrawal, but also a realization that the medication(s) WERE actually doing some good, even if just partially. After being off meds, if a severe episode strikes again, it can be more difficult (and/or take longer) to get stabilized again. I've experienced that in the past, too, and it really applied to my late nephew. He was hospitalized only three weeks before his death. He checked himself out prematurely on only a mini dose of lithium. It was too little and too late to adequately protect him.

It's so common to glorify past bipolar episodes. Truth is, most who do have a form of lack of insight or amnesia about how bad the disorder was. Also know that the disorder often worsens over time when not properly treated. Even "thinking" we can control it ourselves is a misinformation. It (the disorder) can come back with a vengeance, rapidly, sneakily...Ways to self medicate without properly prescribed medication can also turn destructive.

Anyway, you are an adult, I assume. You decide. You must learn the reality of it.