I have a suggestion for you. Stop calling it mental illness and start calling it depression. Depression is genetic and can run in families.
Try another SSRI that might work better for you. When Prozac came out my Doctor prescribed that for me and it made me more anxious. We switched to a combination of Zoloft and Wellbutrin and I have been on it ever since. He also added Buspar and Bupropion.
Like you I self medicated with alcohol and didn’t know what depression was until Prozac was on the cover of Time Magazine.
I quit drinking and I can tell you the right combination of antidepressants changed my life.
Good luck to you.