This is such an interesting question. I do agree that the words used add to stigma. I don't know the best substitutes, but I was thinking of maybe ditching "bipolar disorder" because I dislike the word "bipolar". I dislike that people say "I am bipolar", though I know many people like to say that. It is even misused by people who don't have the disorder.

What came to my mind was "mood disorder", an already used term. Do people think that term is less stigmatizing? I know that includes people with depression only, but I feel it is in the same realm as what we experience. We do experience depression. Some a lot. Maybe "Mood disorder - depression only". Or "Mood disorder - with hypomania" and "Mood disorder - with mania". Even "Mood disorder - mania only" for people who never had depression. They can even be abbreviated (i.e. MD-DO, MD-H, MD-M, MD-MO). Then any other descriptor can be added. I think the longer or more cryptic the description the more clinical it sounds, which could be good. Maybe this sounds silly.