[Icare dixit]

Are you bipolar, a manic-depressive, or do you have bipolar disorder?

[NoIdeaWhatToDo]

I guess I normally say I have bipolar, but I don't know that there's much difference. I think people avoid saying they 'are' bipolar, because they don't want that to sum up who they are. I'm female, but that doesn't sum up who I am if I say it that way. And I can't avoid being female any more than I can avoid being/having bipolar. Semantics...

[scatterbrained04]

It is what it is no matter how it's said in my book. I know I'm more than the illness. I have no consistent way of saying it.

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I usually just say I have issues with depression. I don't tell people I'm bipolar or elaborate on it... but if I did, I would say "I have bipolar disorder". Well, that's what I said to my GP when I was talking about my diagnosis.

[1278]

My diagnosis is bipolar affective disorder, not sure about the difference though.

[pirilin]

I don't say it much. I either use manic-depresive or bipolar I.
BTW, there is a new name for bipolar now. Can't remember. But it's elegant.

[pirilin]

Originally Posted by 1278

My diagnosis is bipolar affective disorder, not sure about the difference though.

It's the same show. Different channel.

[RomanJames2014]

I say I "suffer from bipolar disorder" so that it kinda makes the person I am telling it to realize that it is a disease and that people should approach it with sympathy instead of stigma.

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[gina_re]

I tend to say I have bipolar disorder. I am not an illness, but I am living with an illness.

[hopeless2015]

I usually say I have bipolar depression

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[ComfortablyNumb5]

I blame it all on my anxiety because it's usually the one part that comes out around people. So I just say "I have anxiety issues". I'm terrified to bring up my bipolar, only after I've seen how negative people's reactions were!

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[Keegan2015]

On the very rare occasions that I bring up my diagnosis with people I've always referred to it as "bipolar disorder." I don't like calling it "manic depression" because it's outdated and I went to college to study psychology so I feel obligated to use proper terminology!

[Icare dixit]

NoIdeaWhatToDo, the world revolves around semantics, so that's not really an argument. From the rather many posts in this thread, it seems it is at least somewhat important. Maybe not. The female analogy is interesting.

Keegan, I think manic-depression or manic-depressive is quite a valid term still, but it only describes BP-I. I prefer manic-depressive to bipolar disorder I, since few people would have any idea what it stands for.

RxQueen, it is interesting you'd say that: anxiety definitely plays an essential part in the onset and maintenance/persistence (or worsening) of the disorder. More essential still, I find, is the way we respond to anxiety (and stress and excitement).

Whether you use it that way or not, it is remarkable that people use "I am bipolar" while they wouldn't say "I am panic/anxiety" or "I am unipolar anxious" or something. It has probably a lot to do with control, persistence and/or pervasiveness, I guess. But maybe also with the way we look at the world. Somewhat, sometimes very much, more transcending. Not seeing the trees for the forest sometimes, thereby seeing things as more influential or essential to us than they really are, maybe.

Just thinking out loud here: just ignore that.

I use "I have a mood disorder", "I have a psychotic disorder", "I have a bipolar disorder" or "I am a manic-depressive", depending on circumstances/needs-to-know.

I also use, half-jokingly, "I am (a bit) crazy (sometimes)", "I am (a bit) insane (sometimes)", "mood flippin' psychotic", "I am sometimes insanely great, sometimes insanely small.", or something else I think of.

I don't keep it ever a secret really, but I might get cryptic enough or euphemistic enough to get the understanding/acceptance but not the stigma (much of that is also the way you put it: categorical terms usually work counterproductive). Since being cryptic is second nature to me, I really enjoy that, as well: finding the right balance to not be put down as anything in particular but that people still tentatively get it.

Edit:
Wow, that was longer than expected! Sorry about that.

Another edit:
It could also be that not being bipolar also has distinct qualities to it: not just being an absence-of.

Much like the female/male dichotomy.

[BipolaRNurse]

I use "I'm bipolar" and "I have bipolar disorder" interchangeably. I am also asthmatic, diabetic, and hypertensive...none of that defines me, but is a part of me just like bipolar. I don't see a problem with the use of either phrase.

[wiretwister]

I like "crackers" , pretty well sums it up ...

[Icare dixit]

Loose screw disorder (noun): (sometimes) having dysfunctionally loose associations.

"I am loosely screwed".