Interesting to consider. Yes, in some cases I do think the labels exacerbate what is already there. I found that some of the people I was in the hospital with were very tied to their diagnosis. It seemed to define them.

For me it was kind of strange to have a label all of a sudden. I never had depression or mania and then it hit me at 38. I went severely insane over the course of 2 days. I came out of it quickly and I have been stable since. I accept the label, but I'm not letting it be my defining trait. I want my sentences to begin with things like 'despite her mental illness...' . The label helps explain what happened to me and it gives me an idea of what to pursue to stay balanced. It helps my docs know where to start and that does include pills, but there's so much more I'm doing.

I like the idea of a commune. I actually really enjoyed talking with the people I was in the mental hospital with. I learned a lot and they were all really genuinely cool people. I was on the schizo ward at first and that was different, but I was able to enjoy it once I was able to feel out the vibe of it. The other ward I was in was a different kind of cool. Less 'out there' and I was able to relate easier.