Originally Posted by
Hopeworks 
My husband was misdiagnosed as ADD, bipolar, anxiety disorder, sleep disorder and given meds for all including benzos when in actuality the symptoms were all part of his alcoholism. He became addicted to the pills on top of the alcohol and fully believed he needed all of it to survive for over 10 years. He came close to death many, many times and his life spun completely out of control from his alcohol/prescription drug addiction.
Today he is drug and alcohol free and he is not anxious, bipolar and is sleeping great (sleeping now) ... however he is ADD but does not need meds for that!
Knowledge does not keep you sober but understanding how you got to where you are is helpful in recovery ... let her know that in time she will feel good again without medicating herself if she gets on a healthy recovery path.
It is amazing to me how many people report these same issues. On SR we represent just a small fraction of those affected. Even knowing this, I tend to think, "It's me; there is something WRONG with ME. Why am I like this?" When in fact there are huge numbers of people who have these problems. Whether the problems reveal themselves as alcoholism, drug addiction, eating disorders, or some other issue, I am beginning to believe there is something larger that all these things result from. I've no idea what that would be. Maybe that is what psychiatry is all about. Sometimes I am overwhelmed by it.