Hullo. Let me just second how important I think Dane's observation is. When I first got out of the psych ward and was in an outpatient group for my bp, I'd notice how people tended to introduce themselves. They'd shake hands and say, "I'm bipolar" or "I'm borderline personality disorder." It was as if they'd come to view all the other aspects of themselves as attachments to the illness. I've worked hard to avoid that, but it's a bloody easy trap to fall into. Still, if you start seeing everything you think, do, and say through the lens of "I'm bipolar," I think you're going to be selling yourself short. People can see all their actions as being tied back to some sort of bp-originated motivation. I like to think of it as similar to another chronic lifelong illness, diabetes. Certainly, being diabetic has a profound impact on a person's life, but because the organ affected isn't the brain, I don't think I've ever seen friends who are diabetic view all the choices they make as being the result of that condition. Just my two cents worth based on experience. Cheshire Cat