When I hit puberty I immediately became very depressed and was put on Prozac (SSRI) at the age of 11-12 (don’t remember) and stayed on it for 7 years with doctors only upping my dose and doing nothing else after being told it wasn’t working. Then, Pristiq (SNRI) for the last 3 years. 

December 2021 I was diagnosed bipolar and OCD (though 1 doctor there disagreed with the OCD diagnosis) after a stint in the hospital due to constant obsession, intrusive thoughts, suicidal ideation, extreme impulsive behavior and other manic symptoms. Got prescribed lithium.  About 3 weeks ago I stopped taking antidepressants altogether for the first time in about a decade, and although right now the withdrawals are kicking my ass, as I was lowering the dose to come off of that poison I started feeling more like myself than I ever really have, and now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I should mention I took a DNA test and I’m more prone to adverse effects from SSRI’s and SNRI’s than the average person. 

Also, I was diagnosed with ADHD In 2017 and as the Pristiq comes out of my system I feel my ADHD symptoms fading, which makes me question the diagnosis. So now I’m wondering, was I just a hormonal kid who got depressed when puberty started because new hormones? Could long term adolescent antidepressant use have fucked up my brain? Could that be the cause of the bipolar, if that’s even accurate? Same with ADHD? Any insight on similar experiences or articles relating to any of this would be much appreciated.