For most my life I have struggled with anxiety. At 6 I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and form of ocd. My first true panic attack was at age 11, this was followed by at least a few months of depression. After the first major depressive episode I started feeling somewhat normal and would have panic attacks every now and then and the general anxiety was always there and I continued to get the same diagnosis from different doctors and as I became a teenager prescriptions started to become the topic of conversation. Nearly everyone in my family takes medication for either anxiety or depression except for my dad who is bipolar and possibly schizophrenic. In february of 2021 my anxiety started to become significantly less manageable, and I was severely depressed. I have always been hesitant in taking medications due to a variety of reason (side effects etc) but mainly because I’m aware my brain is still developing and I thought eventually the chemical imbalance would resolve itself with time. However I have reached a point where I do not feel i can live and be happy and get past this on my own so today I started prozac. I guess I’m writing on here looking for hope. I just want to be happy. What has been your experience? Has medication allowed you to become happy?