Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebicycle
How important is your BP diagnosis to you? Do you care about the label or do you only care about treating the symptoms?
Honestly, I kind of care about the label. It lets me describe what's wrong with me when doctors ask about my mental health history. But, I could live without it. As long as the symptoms are treated, I'm not too picky about the label. "Mood disorder" would suffice.
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I felt relief when the doctor affirmed what I suspected I've been struggling with for so long, so the Bipolar label does not bother me. The only time it bothers me is when I disclose it to people I trust since there's so much stigma and misconceptions.
For instance, so many people seem to think Bipolar means your an angry person one minute and a happy person the next minute; falsely thinking it has to do with character flaws, instead of understanding what "mania" is or anything else about episodes. I hope there is more awareness some day, but really I'm glad there's research to support what helps Bipolar. This way, I can deal with the label since it's the only way I can get the treatment I need....just like if I had Diabetes or anything else that required management.