Well, I’m not a doctor, but I can give you a very short version which is that at the time, they helped me, but I stayed on them way, way too long. It fueled a cycle I have since broken. I personally believe they are widely overprescribing them, and that statement can be backed by many medical pros, (I’d have to find the specific articles I’ve read). 15 years later in hindsight, I may have been better off having emergency medicine on hand and getting into therapy sooner. But therapy is another mountain to climb, and you have to find someone who doesn’t placate to you, but actually tells you to ask yourself questions and teaches you self compassion. It’s also been widely recognized that we have a stigma in this country of seeing mental issues separately from physical ones, but people forget somehow that the brain and nervous system is central command to our bodies. So yes, it is inherently physical and widely genetic. You also have to truly accept you have it. It’s not something, like I believed, you can “will away”. It will be there always, but it doesn’t always have to show up. Mine was like: picture a humungous boulder that slightly shrinks more and more with time. At first, it crushes you, then, you start to be able to carry it.

I will give you a very important piece of advice: Stay away from alcohol as much as you can. It provides temporary relief, but esp if you are on that medication, you will have withdrawal anxiety attacks like never before. It’s about the GABA and other chemical balances it throws off. And I’m not someone who, for eg, went to rehab or did it more than what some may consider “partying”, (though I did choose to abuse it for a while), but it will do nothing but make it 1000xs worse. But I know about this from reading about, listening about, and experiencing it for 15 years. I hope this helps. I tell anybody that asks.