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EbnamikCasual Contributor
@Bunniekins @frog @Snowbird @Maggie One thing that really frustrates we is when people without bipolar talk so easily about bipolar as seperate from me. Like it's a cold.
It's so much more complex and connected to me than that.
My Doctor has even said "What bipolar" suggesting that I'm so well managed that it's not there anymore. I wish it were that simple to know where it stops and I start.
In response to: Where does the Bipolar finish and I start?
frogSenior Contributor
Hi @Ebnamik
There was a big thing a while ago re saying I have bipolar rather than I am bipolar. I get the distinction. Bipolar is not all that I am, but for me it's such an integral part of who I am and how I experience the world that I can't separate it out. After about a year of shock and confusion, it was actually a relief for me to get the label because it helped me make sense of my life.
I read an interesting thing recently about how 'mild', or 'high functioning' get tossed around often by observers/professionals, more as a reflection on how little a person's mental illness affects the person observing/world at large. It can have nothing to do with the experience of the person and more to do with the lengths they go to to manage their condition.
Complex is right
@Bunniekins @Snowbird @Maggie
In response to: Re: Where does the Bipolar finish and I start?
EbnamikCasual Contributor
In response to: Re: Where does the Bipolar finish and I start?
SnowbirdCasual Contributor
@Ebnamik @frog
Ebnamik I'm so glad you raised this as it's something I've wondered about lately.
Frog, you said something interesting about 'high functioning' not being about a person's experience but how well you manage it. I think having bipolar shapes parts of my life everyday even if it doesn't "impact it" with illness because of the choices I make to keep it in check.
Personally, I prefer the notion of having bipolar not being it, sometimes I do feel though, there is a blurry line between my energised self, filled with motivation and keenness to do things, quick moving thoughts etc (my natural disposition is to be like this) to early warning signs and symptoms from being pre-mania...because I am so quick to self-judge and be alarmed by possible signs sometimes I don't know what's just me being my driven high energy self and where that ends and hypo mania starts, if that makes sense? Not sure if this is something others wonder...
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Help us push aside the stigma and discrimination surrounding complex mental health and change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.
SANE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
SANE values diversity. We are committed to providing a safe, culturally appropriate, and inclusive service for all people, regardless of their ethnicity, faith, disability, sexuality, or gender identity.
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