Thanks for that perspective. That could explain it indeed. The psychiatrists I saw were the ones working the ward, not outpatients. So they really do see the worst of it. That being said, I really do admire the work they do, the people there are typically not easy to work with, at least not while they are on the ward.

I am lucky in that I'm on a low dose of not too strong medication (valproate acid, 600mg slow release daily). If I go off (I've weaned off it myself before) nothing really extreme seems to happen. Hope you are doing well with your medication.