I would think it is to make sure that someone that doesn't have a mental disorder to be here just to ask questions without "giving back" or needs support. First and foremost, I am here for support and acceptance, to be able to be myself and give support, encouragement or advice (also from personal experience) where I can. I try to make this a fun place, just joking around or playing a game.

That any of that can be used to improve the way BP (and maybe other disorders or illnesses) can be treated, can only be applauded, I'd think. It's not much different from a professor that does both research and clinical work: he gives support (or one may hope so), sees some patterns in the behaviour of the people he meets and he might use anything that is useful in his research.

It's not like I do case studies or something. I personally think you should be more worried about the bad influence of the pharmaceutical companies on research, for example. I don't get any funding for any of this and it would be frankly be preposterous if I did. But much research and clinical practice is very much corrupted by these same companies. I do because I can: I found a way to combine healing myself (by being here and reading memoirs and such; as much as possible), run a business to support research and which has allowed me to actually do (mostly literature/meta-) research (so as to keep connected to my target audience).

I make software to support scientific research and that allows me to do research. My actual research is not here (and is just to test the software and help in BP/SZ research as a charitable thing), but I may share theories and test their validity. Just like many here do. You assume, you ask, you know.

I feel personally more accepted (in general, as a human being) when people share my experiences and I am interested to see which experiences we share and which not. I give you my story and if I can relate to anything anyone writes I tell more of it. I try to make people feel accepted and feel mostly accepted.

You hopefully agree such "research" is for a lofty cause. All I am doing is assuming, asking and making sure our experiences are used, not wasted.

Edit:
With these questions, the wealth of information of our shared experiences beyond well-known symptoms, I try to improve differential diagnoses, so that people get better treatment sooner: so that people with ASD or non-co-morbid, isolated, self-sustaining anxiety problems are not put on antipsychotics or mood stabilisers, don't feel, or feel less, misunderstood and people with psychotic problems/disorders are sooner identified.

I have made clear in the Psychometrics game that that was the rationale behind it and I have been completely open about the fact that I do scientific research into psychotic disorders and perception and rationality, from a psycholinguistic and broader theoretical perspective.