I don't mind saying I am bipolar. I agree with the statement that it's not ALL that I am, but I am a man, and that's not all I am, and I am 140 lbs, and that's not all I am, and right now I am cold, but that's not all I am.

language is tricky. I am bipolar. I don't mind saying it. The trick is to just not over-identify with it. My entire life isn't about my gender, or my weight, and neither is it about my bipolar disorder.

It's a balancing act, just like everything else. Every person has their individual sweet spot between "I am bipolar" and "I have bipolar". You just have to find the point on the spectrum where you dislike your situation the least.