The one I never let myself blame on BP is anger. I believe my anger or irritability stems from a clear source and I can always (or at least usually) limit its outward expression. Ergo, anger is a mood for me, never a symptom of BP.

Thanks for bringing up this conversation. A similar point that I have noticed as I visit my mood tracker every day is that even when depressed, that is not who I am, it is simply an experience. I can externalise what I feel. I am learning that what I feel is not who I am, just as the diagnosis does not define me.