Bipolar? Really?

Personality traits or mental disease?

I have always been a firm believer that mental illnesses exist only to categorize certain behaviours that other people don't understand or can't relate to.

It's like society needs you to fit in a box.. If you are an artist then you are crazy. Generalizations and so on.

I have to say, I've led a very interesting life, now I'm just working a regular job being a mom and wife etc. I don't use any medications and my psychologist is my mom. There was a time where I wasen't this stable. Somehow I got here. Maybe because I never believed any of my labels.

Why do you?

If you have a personality disorder that is a bit like, but not the same as, bipolar, you might have Borderline Personality Disorder.

I know my meds work when I'm better on them and worse off them. Meds make no difference for people with BPD.

I don't really well, not like the doctors would like me to. The label has been useful for getting me out of some trouble some years back and as a view point to consider experiences by but, I'm not entirely convinced bipolar disorder is "real".

It's always the same, if they don't got it they don't get it. There are many on the wild ends of eunoia but not to the point of illness. The wisdom of family and friends, whatever, may be just the perfect counselors. I applaud and respect your contentment in assuming the labels, mom and wife. They are tremendously important and difficult roles.

It is a mistake to think everybody is as you. We are all different and in my experience it is control and stability that is being sought, the afflictions can be debilitating no matter what you call it.

So please, don't assume that because the illness I treat has a name, I consider it a club to seek membership in. I for one do not want what I have.

I'm a little curious---if you don't believe you have any kind of "mental illness", what made you join the forum?

Personality traits are Axis II and as Moose points out, are not generally helped by drugs, with a few notable exceptions. Bipolar Disorder is Axis I.

I think that the association of the names like bipolar with the stigma mental illness doesn't help at all. Labels like mom and wife do not stand under a negative light. We are all trying to have control and stability but I will not conform to fall into categories. I don't assume you want what you have, neither I assume your part of a club. I don't think everyone is like me, that would be very dumb.. I wonder if at all, why do some assume that what they have is an illness..

The reason that I joined is on another thread that I have yet to find, since I'm a new member and couldn't post. I would love to find it and let you read it, see if you can share any light.

I feel you.

I been diagnosed several times. First time and how they found out, was because of a crisis. So they added bipolar disorder with a mix of psicosis and I can't remember anything else.
Later on another one said I didn't have anything because I didn't looked depressed.. Then another said I had hipomania. Then back and forth with Manic disorder and bla bla bla

When I was in the 9th grade I knew I had something, I always knew. I thought it was adhd. I was told that in women add and bipolar disorder often gets confused. They ended up saying I was bipolar. I'm under no meds right now, and I can go to a doctor and he/she wouldn't ever think I'm bipolar. In fact, I plan on starting theraphy without letting them know I was diagnosed, I'm going for something else.. See if they can trace it.

I assure you, they will not. Unless I get nervous and start talking like crazy. However, I will control that.
Now I don't think I suffer from any mental disease, just life.

"The five axis model is designed to provide a comprehensive diagnosis that includes a complete picture of not just acute symptoms but of the entire scope of factors that account for a patient's mental health."

So axis I and axis II are tools to see where do you stand in the crazy scale. That sounds to me like another theory that wraps up the definitions I'm againsts. I rather have another theory, a more positive, non stigma related theory. You understand what I mean?

I made other posts before this one, will they show up or do I need to write them again?

Because mental health is complex, no theory can aspire to account for all its intricacies. I find the five-axis model useful and orthogonal to the stigma.

They'll show up slowly I think...takes a bit when you're new.

I get what you're saying, arguing Axis 1 and 2 doesn't make sense when you reject or question the underlying assumptions that lead to jargon like "personality" which is what you're doing.

I understand. The brain is complex! However, I think that labels that fall under negative light don't really help our understanding of the brain. Specially when these "disorders" are wired into us just like personality traits.

Thanks! I can see my comments now. And Exactly! to your second statement

Sure, being called anti-social is no fun. Unless you are truly anti-social - then you do not care. But what do you suggest? Remove the word schizophrenia from the dictionary?

hahaha lol funny!

and really I just think that when people are trying to reach for recovery it doesn't help to have that stigma of illness follow around. Sure, right now it helped me to find this site! I'm very grateful I did! I can joke and say yeah I have this or that because I have overcomed so much but I don't think its healthy to settle with the illness idea when you're trying to reach for recovery..

Found it!

http://forums.psychcentral.com/showt...69#post2526569

That is the reason I joined. Care to help before I go insane?

hi creativelight, welcome.

i can relate to what you are saying about it being part of the personality. i've lived my whole life with it undx'd... with people here and there saying, are you bipolar or something? so having not even being dx'd until after my 2 teens were (a couple years ago)... i do feel like it's just a part of my personality, just who i am. still figuring it all out, and riding out a mania right now.

look forward to hearing more from you, take care.

Thanks! I was diagnosed when I was 22/23. It was complicated.. Now I'm sure my dad is just like me and he has lived his whole life just fine. I don't see it as an illness at all. Perhaps I would be an enhanced version of myself if I were on medication. However, I'm able to function without any trouble so I don't bother on being a guinea pig.
I will always see it as who we are! :-)

I really disagree with a lot of what you are saying.

Being depressed, hopeless, suicidal, irritable, agitated, is the illness, NOT me. When I am on (proper) medication, I am none of these. I am interested in life and other people, I feel better about who I am, I am able to recognize and enjoy the good things in life. That is the real me.

I don't know if this is your intention, but your first post in this thread feels really judgmental to me. Sort of, "I don't need meds or diagnosis. Why do all you sheep buy into these things?". If you can live a good life without diagnosis or meds, great. But that is your journey not mine. Diagnosis and proper meds have been empowering to me. That is my journey and there is nothing wrong with that.

EJ

I feel like ej above. I know that the "crazy, irrational, hopeless, irritable" person I can become is not me and is surely not a choice. It's not a personality flaw. My stubborn streak is a personality flaw. Why that and not the others? I can control it. I'm aware of it because my brain is working properly. I can choose to release my stubborn opinion at any point. Does that make sense?

I resent being told (not that you did but people have) to get over it. Or just "don't be that way". I'd love to but I simply find I can't help it. It took many years for my husband to admit that I was more me on meds than I was when not on meds. And he was very anti drug.

Thanks for finding my joke about anti-socials funny, but you did not respond to these questions of mine, so I bring them up again. What do you suggest? Stop calling "hearing voices" a symptom of schizophrenia? Call it "individual characteristics" instead? If you do, people will not stop hearing voices, and being frightened by these voices. The symptoms of schizophrenia would not go away, even if you try to normalize them. They will still be in need of treatment, and the standard treatment is AP - you cannot talk a person out of hearing voices, you have to medicate. I'm lucky, I do not hear voices, but I understand that other people do, that it is human suffering, that a mental health system should be in place to diagnose and treat such people to minimize human suffering as well as, hopefully, harm to others.

So I do not understand what you suggest in regards to schizophrenia.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Props, EJ.

I meant it more like there's hope at the end of the tunnel. Like don't settle into thinking you have an illness, we are more powerful than that.
In my case (the manic side) feels just like who I am..or think I am. Of course I don't experience much of the other side.. I suppose I have the cheerful side and I speak in its behalf...

I didn't respond to those for you just added them to be cool perhaps? And I will tell you about that then. I dated a schizophrenic and I thought his mind, off meds was beautiful. I thought he was connected to other realities we are unaware of. I think, this so called illnesses are misunderstood. However, when it does make you feel crappy and depressed I wouldn't think it's part of who you want to be... But maybe your brain is making you aware of many crappy things that do happen day to day and if we cared at all about what really goes on in the world we would all be depressed. I'm saying that these illnesses are beautiful but if it makes us unhappy then by all means, get help.