I meet all kinds of people who say their meds do nothing and its all just theory. I meet them often in the hospital.
On a personal note people around me notice when I dont take my meds. There is so much bad informaition online

And yes I hate taking my meds, I'm guessing people resist insulin for there diabetes

Everything Shawn said.

No one wakes up overjoyed to take their meds.

Websites like that piss me off royally. There are people who need help and then there's some idiot opinionated douchebag telling people that nothing is wrong with them.
BULLSHIT.

Don't believe everything you hear from Tom Cruise.
Last time I was in hospital we had two Jesus's and one president Kenedy, we had a couple of witches and all of them had blown off their meds or weren't on enough. I was one of the normal one's that had just attempted suicide with a bottle of lamictal. Wonderful isn't it. I don't like to take meds and p.s. the taste of lamictal sickens me now.

I HATE taking meds....especially when I feel as FINE as a peach in a pie! BUT my pdoc wants me on meds for maintenance.

Personally, no. I don't hate taking my meds because they keep me stable and well. I consider them a lifesaver. I accept that I will have to be on them for the rest of my life. It doesn't mean that I am jumping for joy about it though but it's not a terrible thing if they help me. The only time I have ever hated my meds was when I was manic and flushed them all down the toilet. But I was very psychotic at the time and not myself to say the least. Other than that episode, I cooperate with my medication. Why not? If it works.

Sure, I hate the have to need to take meds.
However............
A bunch of smart guys over the past hundred of years or even thousands of years noticed some things about the general populace.
Even Socrates noticed that a group of people suffered from what is now deemed manic-depressive/bi-polar.
The most famous of course is Frued who noticed that the whole human populace runs on sex.
Then we come to meds.the first discovered...Lithium!
The 1 out of 100 people that would act mental in a certain way was given doses of lithium and all of a sudden the dudes manic demon possession stopped.
A simple discovery was found.
Give the crazed guys this med and it stops the massive craziness that they were suffering from.
The same shit goes for meds like penicillin. wow, they gave it to people and they became cured.
A discovery was found.
Then technology kept doubling and doubling over the past 100 years and certain compounds took shape especially anti-psychotics that took people out of crazed delusions.
A discovery was found.
Then the first set of anti-psychtics were made better by the new groups of them that we have now.
So yes, smart people know that there is no physically evident proof that these meds are doing anything because thoughts are invisible.
However they know that certain mental people stop being so mentally fucked after given certain compounds.
How does a psychiatrist even know that you are the one that is mentally fucked?
Well, a friend, family member, or loved one may get you in to the looney bin and explain your behavior. Then the psychiatrist will ask questions from you seeking to pry out what is going on inside your head.
The greatest bi-polar red flag goes up when people come in claiming wild bible shit, even claiming to be sent, to be a prophet, be Jesus, be Mary, etc...... Usually these individuals are wildly delusional. I was included into that grouping. Psychotic. Lost into a fantasyland psychosis.
They gave me Carbamazapine(anti-manic) and Risperdal( anti-psychotic)! And what did you know, after time, the craziness disappeared enough to make me functionable enough to re-enter into society to a somewhat functionable level.
Alot of problems in wild thinking disappeared.
So the invisible was made visable and the invisible(thoughts) were fixed TO A DEGREE!
If some problems were not still left over in some of us we would not have the need to be on disability and the like.
Works better on some not that great for others.
The Doc made sure to explain to me that there is NO CURE for bi-polar. The meds act like cold medicine to a cold.
This was quite a bit of rambling but that is where we are today in bi-polar land!

Scientists are working to find a way to phyisically test for depression/bipolar, but haven't figured it out yet. For now, the best thing they have is just asking questions. They are working to figure out ways to use brain scans, chemical tests, etc. For now, it is somewhat of a guessing game. Still, there is an abvious correlation between depression and antidepressent medications, or they would not be prescribed as frequently as they are. So, there is a truth that these things aer caused by chemical imbalance and that meds seem to help. The extent to which this is true, or why this is true has yet to be determined.

By the way, there is NEVER a "truth" in science. All science is theory. The proof is in the way people feel/behave after taking the meds. However, science and technology are constantly evolving so in the future we may have different ways of handling these things. For now, if the meds help, take them. If not, either try new meds or don't take any. Only you will know what is right.