Mental Illness - is it a Life thing?

[Kija]

i'm bipolar, and in the process of being diagnosed and put on meds, my pysch's told me "its serious enough that youll have to be medicated for the rest of your life", charming thanks!
i've got a lot better coping with the minor blips in the last year. and hopefully one day i will have enough time and money to try all these alternative things that say they can help and be med free! or is that just really stupidly optomistic?
xxx

[Steel Maiden]

Yeah I've been told the "meds for the rest of my life" thing before and although its discouraging, I am happy to know that the meds I am on will not destroy me badly in any way like some meds do. I mean I've been taking antipsychotics for four years and I haven't got tardive dyskinesia so I guess I'm going ok. However I stopped growing in height when I started my first AP meds and I have now got no periods, but I don't mind not having periods =].