I hate that term. I much prefer the older term, manic depressive. I haven't heard any manic depressive jokes going around, but Bipolar, ha! there are dozens of them. the word is used too much to describe obvious non bipolar people. anytime someone gets emotional... it's "don't be bipolar, man"...

But no one screws with the term manic depressive. Maybe that's cuz no one will put down a person who is depressed? it's kinda like the old military combat condition that used to be called 'shell shock'. Now that's a blunt name for a condition. It held meaning. SHELL SHOCK! It portrays a serious condition! But now, now it's been wussified down to ptsd. a phrase that is easily thrown around with no real BAM behind it.

Now, I know that PTSD is much more than a condition that is caused by military combat. I bet even some of the members here have it for trauma... but that's exactly my point. Shell shock has been so generalized that it has just disappeared. I feel that my condition is being generalized by being called bipolar that it too will just disappear, and any understanding of it along with it.

Bipolar carries with it a stigma, and a huge one. But Manic Depressive? That carries a strong meaning with it, something portrayed as serious and needing research to understand. The name Bipolar has turned into a joke with society, meaning moody.

ugh... vent over

I agree with you 110%! "Bipolar" seems like a used up, "dirty" or disrespectful word that is misleading, as well. Doesn't even address mixed moods, for example.

Interesting analogy re: shell shock and PTSD. It has been generalized, I agree! I have PTSD from trauma, non-military, btw.

Thanks for starting this thread - good vent!

[faerie_moon_x]

No, I prefer bipolar. The term I hate is "mood disorder" because it makes it sound like something we make up to not have to deal with our issues.

[BinaryMan]

I also hate bipolar. I use it because people don't understand what I am talking about when I say manic depressive. But it better describes the illness in my honest opinion. Bipolar sounds like you are either one or the other when in truth they mix more often then not.

And don't get me started on f***ing "mood disorder". I am not "moody". I wish I was just moody

[bluewind]

I agree. I say I'm manic-depressive because it packs a punch just like the illness does

[lifelies]

Totally agree with you!
Usually, the word Bipolar is used refering to Borderline Personality Disorder.
Last year we made a school project about mental disorders, and a whole chapter of the project was "Bipolar vs BPD"
I don't hate the word as it is, but I hate its usage. I can't avoid yelling at the people who use the word without any knowledge :P
Cheers,
Lana
Lifelies

I prefer bipolar because "manic" rarely is descriptive of my mood state.

...it doesn't actually matter, I think.

[lifelies]

Originally Posted by JosieTheGirl

I'm not entirely sure if you were successful in what you were trying to say here, but what you actually did end up saying is flat-out, factually, 100% incorrect.
Borderline Personality Disorder is, as indicated, a personality disorder. It is often characterized by poor attachment, tumultuous relationships, "black and white thinking", and can also involve difficulty with emotional expression and reception as well as other issues

Bipolar is actually a clinical name for a specific mood disorder. Bipolar I, bipolar II, and bipolar NOS are all variations of the disorder, which is characterized by extreme fluctuations in mood, to the point of dysfunction. Depending on the severity of symptoms, the disorder may require hospitalization and almost always requires medication for a successful prognosis [though not 100% of the time]
The name bipolar is a new name for "manic depression", which was used in previous versions of the DSM.

They are unique, though to the layman with little intimate knowledge, may seem very similar. They can both however be destructive.


…I hear ya. Ignorance and misinformation really gets at me, too.

Edit: Lol, you just edited your post! It was important!
Haha! You misunderstood me! Your reply is exactly what I yell to the people who use the term Bipolar uncorrectly
What I meant was that usually, when Bipolar is uncorrectly used, the thing people uncorrectly mean should be correctly named Borderline Personality Disorder.
For example: A said she loves her mother yesterday. Today, A says she hates her. Dumb comment from his dumb friend: "Oooh yo ur zo bipolar". When he really wanted to say: "Oh, you're so borderline."
I hope you understand me now!
Cheers,
Lana
Lifelies

Originally Posted by lifelies

Edit: Lol, you just edited your post! It was important!
Haha! You misunderstood me! Your reply is exactly what I yell to the people who use the term Bipolar uncorrectly
What I meant was that usually, when Bipolar is uncorrectly used, the thing people uncorrectly mean should be correctly named Borderline Personality Disorder.
For example: A said she loves her mother yesterday. Today, A says she hates her. Dumb comment from his dumb friend: "Oooh yo ur zo bipolar". When he really wanted to say: "Oh, you're so borderline."
I hope you understand me now!
Cheers,
Lana
Lifelies

Yes I edited it because, like usual, I'm an idiot.
I mean, nothing new really.
...Anyway.

[lifelies]

Originally Posted by JosieTheGirl

Yes I edited it because, like usual, I'm an idiot.
I mean, nothing new really.
...Anyway.

No, you're not at all!
It's not the first time nobody understands what I write due to my poor/lazy English...
English is not my first language, but sometimes I feel like... Having a bad English day, lol.
Anyway, !
I didn't get mad or anything, in fact it was kinda funny because I heard Alex saying "You're such an idiot, Lana!".
Cheers,
Lana
Lifelies

[~Christina]

I don't care what its called, the only thing that matters is my ability to live my life happy and healthy.

[BipolaRNurse]

I think 'manic-depressive' is a better description of it, at least my own experience of it. I use the term 'bipolar' because that's what people know, and if I hear it tossed around casually, I have no problem educating the offender(s) about the disorder. What's funny is their reaction; I don't "look" mentally ill (whatever that looks like) and I don't act "crazy", so when I talk about being/having bipolar it tends to make people go "Oh, wow, I didn't know that, I'm sorry!!" I like that.

[A Red Panda]

I don't really care which one is used... but I don't like how often it gets mixed up with BPD. Like... it gets mixed up to such an extent that I wonder if I am actually bipolar or if I have BPD. But when I read the BPD criteria.. it doesn't match me. Some bits do, but so much of it doesn't!

So I wish the general public could learn and not keep mixing them up.

I sort of like "bipolar" more than manic depression because I don't really like having the word "depression" in the name even though it's the main thing I get stuck dealing with!

[Skittles56]

I'm with dumbfounded, I'm not fond of the term, bipolar either. I think it trivializes the disorder. When people hear the term, they don't associate it with the fact that a lot of people with bipolar disorder will attempt suicide and a large percentage of those that do, succeed. They just associate it with people being "moody." They want to say, "Snap out of it," as if you could have a cup of coffee and everything will be OK. What the term, bipolar really trivializes is mania. Once again, they think it's just a matter of being really happy or really irritable or even really irresponsible. They don't understand that when you jump up on a table and start screaming that everyone in the room is a moron, you couldn't stop yourself from doing that any more than you could stop a train by standing in front of it.

I'm also with everyone about "mood disorder." It makes it sound like a bad case of PMS.

[polesapart]

I think manic-depression describes the condition (at least for me) much better than bipolar. I think it's easier for people to misunderstand the term bipolar, and apply it to people who are generally moody.

[Tsunamisurfer]

The term manic depression at least mentions what these "poles" are, whereas bipolar could easily be interpreted by the uninformed to mean a mixture of really awkwardly icey and outrageously rude and poorly disciplined.

Of course I am assuming that the general population has a vague clue what mania is, and perhaps that is the problem with the term manic depression. "Mania sounds like maniac. Hmmmm. Surely a maniac is a deplorable, badly behaved person you would never want on your list of contacts, let alone be seen hanging out with them. Keep away from my children, pervert!!!"(sarcasm)

When someone has known me only during a euthymic phase, they don't seem to get it when I mention that I struggle with bipolar disorder, that sometimes I get clinically depressed. Maybe it is just the influence of the media drawing attention to cases of deliciously bad behaviour to report on, and little mention is made of the pain bipolar sufferers are in.

So both labels have their problems for me.
Even the diagnostic criteria are really just part of a man made construct and are describing only a fraction of what is really going on in each of us. Symptom overlaps, false dichotomies, arbitrary cut-offs between levels of severity, poorly understood mechanisms and causality, etc. are all evidence of how shaky and transient our "disorder" labels and criteria are.

I'm not happy with the diagnostic labels, but they do give us something to identify with and hopefully get some form of a grip on the chaos to get our lives into a manageable and productive state.

[Muppy]

I think that Bipolar is more "sanitary" sounding. Less sick. Those of us who are bipolar/manic depressive know exactly how it hurts even if we can't always give an exact description of the pain. I was diagnosed as Depressed for several years before my pdoc changed my diagnosis and we discussed it. Finally there was a description that actually made sense to me. Bipolar/Manic Depressive...call it what you will...but keep the meds coming

[wiretwister]

For me bi polar has been very accurate as I am either depressed or manic..would love to just be in the middle "normal"

Originally Posted by dumbfounded

I hate that term. I much prefer the older term, manic depressive. I haven't heard any manic depressive jokes going around, but Bipolar, ha! there are dozens of them. the word is used too much to describe obvious non bipolar people. anytime someone gets emotional... it's "don't be bipolar, man"...

But no one screws with the term manic depressive. Maybe that's cuz no one will put down a person who is depressed? it's kinda like the old military combat condition that used to be called 'shell shock'. Now that's a blunt name for a condition. It held meaning. SHELL SHOCK! It portrays a serious condition! But now, now it's been wussified down to ptsd. a phrase that is easily thrown around with no real BAM behind it.

Now, I know that PTSD is much more than a condition that is caused by military combat. I bet even some of the members here have it for trauma... but that's exactly my point. Shell shock has been so generalized that it has just disappeared. I feel that my condition is being generalized by being called bipolar that it too will just disappear, and any understanding of it along with it.

Bipolar carries with it a stigma, and a huge one. But Manic Depressive? That carries a strong meaning with it, something portrayed as serious and needing research to understand. The name Bipolar has turned into a joke with society, meaning moody.

ugh... vent over

Just when I was over it, but yaaa the stigma thing where not that i want one but bp people should be denied gun access not for their own protection but society's?! OMG