i 'have' Vs I 'am'

Maybe because bipolar effects my brain...I feel that I am bipolar. I have diabetes so I am a diabetic. I do agree that it’s not good to let bipolar define me, but when I’m caught up in the whirlwind of an episode it does in fact define me.

All that being said I tread very carefully around medical professionals. I say I have biploar type 2. (Not I’m biploar) I try to keep it as clinical as possible because I don’t want them to write me off a a “nut” and ignore what I am seeking treatment for.

I actually use both depending who I am talking too or how it comes out of my mouth. I don't really think about how it sounds nor do I really care.

The wording does matter. I use, "I deal with BP," even as opposed to I have or I am. It makes a massive difference in the mind of the listener.

I agree, makes it sound like you’re working on doing something about the illness. Thanks for that!

I've found it interesting to read everyone's answers, so thanks for the thread.

Personally, I think that the wording does matter, and not just from a grammatical POV.

Very few people know about my diagnosis. I'm fortunate in a lot of ways to have passing privilege. For those that I have told, I said that I'd "just been diagnosed with schizophrenia", or "they've now decided that I have schizophrenia"; something along those lines. I don't say "I have sz" because I don't agree that I do have sz, but I wouldn't be offended by somebody else saying that about me. I also use first-person language to describe other people, whether about a physical or mental health problem.

However, woe betide you if you even try to call me, or anybody else, 'schizophrenic'!!! Not only do I not relate to that diagnosis but, even if I did, it is not the sum total of who I am as a person and so I don't appreciate being reduced to that one label.

But also, to me, and this really is JMO only, 'schizophrenic' is a pejorative word, not just defining somebody by a diagnosis. It reminds me of the stereotype of 'crazy person' in films about old asylums. That word makes me think of those poor people drugged out of their minds; seen as 'other' because of the side effects of their obscene medication dosages; drooling, and too doped up to think or speak or do anything. So I have met plenty of people who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but very few, even those who are floridly psychotic and in hospital, I would consider to be 'schizophrenic'. To me, that's a really offensive word that says more about the person's prescriber than it does about them.

Anyway, that's just my opinion.

*Willow*

I am emphysema.

My 2 cents worth. No offence intended.
I think it’s just semantics to a degree.
I say potato, you say potato, they all say potato.
I’ve been sick all my life but I still don’t actually care what labels people use.
My grandfather died from dementia. You could argue he was demented, he had dementia, he suffered from dementia etc etc
The outcome’s the same: he’s dead. Arguing about labels would’ve been a waste of time.

It doesn't bother me either way. It's just semantics. Do whatever you feel comfortable with.

For me it's a mix of things. I can say I'm bipolar yet say I have BPD, GAD, PTSD, etc. It just doesn't matter to me.

Okay. Before I see any new doctor — e.g., a new gastrointestinal physician — I prepare a list of my past and current diagnoses. I may use bullet-points below a diagnosis to explain times or consequences of CHF. Or Bipolar I Disorder. And I capitalize the names of each disorder (and use acronyms, where appropriate). I would never say, “I deal with bipolar type one” to a medical professional.

I completed a one-page ‘health’ CV for my new shrink 3-4 weeks ago. I did nothing but name my disorders and diseases or name with an explanatory bullet point. If I’m at my new gastrointestinal doc’s office, she might require me to remove my shirt and might find that I’m attempting to conceal (when, in truth, I’ve only forgotten) my gall bladder surgery. A medical CV is an instance where “I have” or even “I am” is most appropriate. Even, if when revealing current — or ‘past’ — diagnoses.

I’m crazy in the head. No other explanation required.

So, I’m mostly straddling the “I am” or “I have” medians.

Does it really make a difference which way it is said? Do you think the person that listens to you will also make this distinction, or even care to? Once they hear “bipolar”, no matter how you said it, they will respond. Hopefully this will happen in a nonjudgmental way, but that is frequently what will not happen. I do believe most with BP say that they “are” BP, as I do. Do you think this will make a difference if said differently? To whom? You or the person listening? These are just words. They do not need to matter to any of you. You know what you mean, and so will the person listening to you. IMO that is all that matters.

I “ have”

Bipolar...... it does not define me.