Just for the record, I'd MORE THAN GLADLY comply with a doctor's instructions if:
1. They weren't condescending and dismissive, only spending 3-5 minutes talking to me and then sending me out the door with a script for antidepressants because I'm a young female with "nonspecific" symptoms. (Read: we-don't-know-what's-wrong-with-you-and-really-don't-care-because-we're-trying-to-squeeze-in-as-many-patients-as-we-can-to-make-more-money).
2. They would have, in the 24 years of seeing different doctors, done or even SAID anything remotely relevant to what I'm seeing them for. I've consistently gotten zero results and even suffered a seizure from taking a doctor's prescribed treatment one time. YES, AS DIRECTED. With the exception of one great doc I had a couple years ago, they've all given me no help at all or even caused me harm.
3. That's all assuming that I am even able to afford a doctor's visit, which I'm not. I live in the U.S., work a full-time job, pay taxes and am one of the millions without insurance. Lets just hope I don't get cancer.
The point is, when you try to find a doctor who's thorough, considerate, and has an up-to-date medical education and lose years of what should've been the prime of your life in the process, you tend to lose faith. Sometimes self-medicating--as risky and dangerous as it is--can be your only hope of living a life free of misery when all else has failed. I KNOW there are great treatments like acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic adjustments, supplementation and a plethora of medications for every condition, and would feel blessed to be able to explore ANY of them, but I simply don't have the money. This is the case for many, many people.
As a side note: it's a shame "self-medicating" has become the excuse-for-abuse of so many addicts, because those of us who spend hours, weeks, and even months or years studying a condition and the various treatment options for it before ever deciding to try something new--and then actually use it RESPONSIBLY to treat a real condition--get lumped in with addicts.
I think the whole "I'm a self-medicator" thing is used as a reason/excuse for irresponsible, excessive use of drugs about 97% of the time...the other 3% of "self-medicators" are genuinely seeking relief from a medical condition--be it chronic fatigue, pain, clinical depression, or anything else that's not being adequately addressed by a professional. Considering this is bluelight, I'd be skeptical of anyone who claims to be the latter...(YES, even me.) I certainly wouldn't be offended by being accused of being either kind of self-medicator, because all that matters is that I know which one I am and get the relief I need to live a semi-productive life. The line becomes even more blurry when dealing with pain conditions and people who, "really do need medication" and also just so happen to "like the euphoric side effects". (Who doesn't?!)
Perhaps if everyone were able to afford decent health care and the majority of doctors weren't in the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies and actually CARED about their patients' quality of life, no one would self-medicate. That hasn't been my experience, and I know there are others who will agree.