I agree, but it is nice to have something that eases the pain slightly so people like me can be strong enough to get out of bed, get off the darn chair, maybe even tentatively step outside after many months & know that despite feeling terrified & miserable, the outside world is beautiful. Although there are many mean people who can hurt, there are more people who are nice, or just average.

My medication eased the intensity over weeks, months, years. I was able to find strength in myself that I was certain I didn't have & fight through my fears, fight to get work and education. Fight to know that it didn't matter if I could only work 15 hours/week when everyone said I "should" be able to work full time. I got back to any work, & slowly increased it over the past 5 years to 24 hours per week & then I can study too. I never would have dreamed that could ever be possible.

I also hoped for a miracle cure 4 years ago, but I didn't expect it cause I'd been on medication when I was younger & it barely seemed to work, but it must have a bit, cause I didn't give up on my school. I coped somehow. The medicine made me worse before it made me better, it was scary at the time.

The medication helped me to be strong enough to take those first steps of accepting maybe I could cope with what seemed like a huge study load. Once I got started, my competitive nature took over. I had to fight HARD! I kept leaving the classroom every couple of hours to cry, people upset me, the pain was agonizing. Life without work was too full of "nothingness". I could never go back to that. I made it through somehow, partly because of the strength inside, partly because the medication reduced my symptoms slightly & gave me a small taste of the normality I am fighting for.

That's my thoughts on medication. Nothing to be ashamed of. Not a magic cure. Something to help people cope when they feel like they can't go on. Then we have to look inside ourselves, find what we think is important out of life & fight like hell for it no matter what. One step at a time....