Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist?

[unreadierLizard]

174. As someone with a mental illness, this is insulting and disturbing.

Thanks to my "big pharma" medications, I'm finally able to leave the house somedays and not suffer from SEVERE panic attacks that cause me to not be able to function most of the day.

Thanks to my meds, I can talk to people sometimes without feeling the need to run away due to the overwhelming anxiety(only sometimes..but still).

Thanks to my meds, I don't have racing thoughts as much as I used to.

But now I'm being scolded that "this is all caused by experience not illness". I was bullied for fucking 10 years of my life and then this all started -gradually-. I've had therapy. I've had counselling. NOTHING WORKED except the pills. The fact you people are telling me that my -legitimate medical diagnosis- is invalid is fucking disgusting.

I'm filing for disability because i've never had a job or tried to get one because I've been so goddamn afraid to leave my house before the meds(with the meds some days are still hard or impossible). But maybe you're right; I should go off them and just go back to being manic, depressive and socially anxious to the point of panic attacks.

Sage advice.