The first just seems like an attempt at a definition of the causes. It states that bipolar disorder is an illness. We didn't cause it. It's not our faults.


The second seems like an ideal scenario I'd think we'd all like to have. "Bipolar content" to me seems like either a result of attaining the second situation or being OK living with bipolar symptoms, assuming most of one's bipolar illness brings advantages vs. pain/struggle/disadvantages.


Bipolar proud? What I think of is a situation where people with bipolar become proud of themselves for how they've coped with the illness, i.e. overcoming obstacles, being patient, determined, and vigilant about recovery or at least the best wellness possible.


Contentment and pride are deserved. Too often people with bipolar disorder think of themselves as weak or failures. I think that's just not true. It's an extremely tough job dealing with a major mental illness and taking steps to manage it. Remember, most heroic feats require challenges/struggles. An easy life with no challenges usually doesn't yield such a label as hero/heroine. We can be heros/heroines for ourselves and those we love. Fighting stigma increases such heroism even more. At least that's how I look at it.


I once read a blog post on bp Magazine's website discussing "lost years" during their illness. I understood why the author labeled them as such, but later realized that maybe what I used to call "lost years" wasn't so lost after all. I'm not minimizing my struggle at all, I just realized that these past 15 years have been among the greatest learning experiences of my life. It took a long while to realize that, though.