I don't feel like a victim of bipolar at all. It just is what it is so I deal with it.

I do see it mostly as a chronic, recurrent illness. I can mostly keep it under control with meds (I've tried going completely without and it doesn't work for me). But calling it an illness isn't really a bad thing. I've spent my life around family members who deal with chronic illnesses that cycle in and out, so I've seen how these illnesses can be dealt with to manage them and survived through the rough times.

Therefore, for the most part I accept it. Again, it is what it is. Sometimes when I'm really in bad shape or (oddly enough) quite stable, I rail against it, but usually not terribly long. I have an excellent therapist and an excellent pdoc who keep me in touch with reality.

Edited to add: Notice that different people are able to come to terms with bipolar disorder in different ways and through various views of BP. It seems important to me to respect each individual's journey. We don't live in each others' skins.