10-08-2014 12:54 PM
10-08-2014 12:54 PM
I've noticed alot of people with mental illnesses use terminology such is "I'm bipolar" instead of "I have bipolar(disorder)" etc...
I think it's very important that we move away from this because,while the people who say this might think it means nothing and they just do it for convenience sake,in reality it can have an effect on societal perceptions of mental illness.
A persons identity is never "a bipolar" so I'm really perplexed why some people use these self labels.
There's still huge stigma towards mental illness "sufferers" with the media and some doctors using labels such as "a paranoid schizophrenic" etc so to break down stigma and labelling I think it's important patients themselves don't refer to themselves as these things.
11-08-2014 05:01 PM
11-08-2014 05:01 PM
I agree! Even 'I have a diagnosis of_______' sounds better than I am ______ (the diagnosis), as people are much more than that, and made up of many parts.
12-08-2014 08:54 AM
12-08-2014 08:54 AM
12-08-2014 05:22 PM
12-08-2014 05:22 PM
Personally I think if I have a diagnosis of bipolar then it's up to me how I say it? A person is a holistic being made up of many different aspects. I think people get too hung up on "labels" and how things are worded.
15-08-2014 09:59 AM
15-08-2014 09:59 AM
Hi Ivana,
I've some across from the lived experience forum, to reply to a couple of things I saw last night - and just found this so I'll stick my oar in.
I think (as a sufferer) that what you say makes a lot of sense, it is something I feel passionately about. The illness is not us, and my experience is that "others" are all too willing to put us in a box with a label. Either way this can be quite dis-abling in itself.
Personally I've had 5 different diagnoses over the last 35 years, most recently PTSD and then bipolar. I do suffer from these. I have often gone out of my way over the years to seek better diagnosis/ understanding of my diagnosis because having the label for the illness and understanding it helps me gain greater self-understanding. But none of these five dianoses have ever come anywhere near defining me.
I'll take "human" as a label but that's it, the rest are just descriptors.
Cheers,
Kristin
21-08-2014 05:22 PM
21-08-2014 05:22 PM
For myself, I'll just stick to the label "Hobbit". It's good, because I don't have to say "I suffer from being a Hobbit, I just am one. If that's my pigeon hole, then I'll just make it comfy and hobbit-like, stick to my 2 breakfasts a day....and be happy!!
(I'm trying to be metaphorical!!)
Hope everyone is good.
01-09-2014 09:50 PM
01-09-2014 09:50 PM
03-09-2014 09:52 PM
03-09-2014 09:52 PM
04-09-2014 08:03 AM
04-09-2014 08:03 AM
04-09-2014 07:38 PM
04-09-2014 07:38 PM
Well as a person with a diagnosis of bipolar, I choose to label myself as I see fit. Whether I say I'm bipolar, I have bipolar or I am a person with bipolar it doesn't change the reality and I doubt very much that it's going to alter anyone's opinion of mental illness.
Please note this is for technical issues only, like content not loading or problems with posting. General feedback or complaints about SANE and SANE services should be submitted here instead.
If you need urgent assistance, see Need help now
For mental health information, support, and referrals, contact SANE Support Services
SANE Forums is published by SANE with funding from the Australian Government Department of Health
SANE - ABN 92 006 533 606
PO Box 1226, Carlton VIC 3053