I don't see how the part in bold is really possible - if you've been diagnosed with the condition then it IS legitimate as is the confusion that abounds when you have such issues.

The phrase; 'don't let your illness define you,' gets thrown around a lot, i've fallen back on it too many times myself - but when we've been involved with something for a certain length of time -- are the boundaries so clearly defined?

I think what matters is what you want - if you desire to get better than you will find a way of maintaining an interest in getting better. We may have times when everything just seems impossible and that it doesn't matter what happens - but this usually isn't sustainable. It's just not who we are. People are problem solvers.

People can have medical conditions that disturb their sense of self and naturally anything can become a crutch. I guess you could also argue that if a condition is livable it can pass for what you could consider a main point of interest about yourself if your self esteem doesn't allow for highlighting more positive attributes.

As you can see i feel pretty conflicted about this whole topic myself but i hope i've thrown some ideas out there which give you food for thought. I too am interested in what others have to say.