You there! Yes, you lucky son of a gun with Bipolar, or you the family member, or friend! Do you think of Bipolar as a “disorder” only, or are you feeling a good word to describe Bipolar is also “disease?” I gotta say, looking at definitions (which I’m going to post) and based on how I feel it affects my life, I think of Bipolar as a disease.
Thoughts, please?
I think disease, it just seems like disorder is more like we could control it and disease is like is like we didn’t just choose to be bipolar.
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Hi, thanks for stopping by. Good to hear from you. Yes, I totally hear you and agree. I feel like the word *disorder* downplays and diminishes what we endure.
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Absolutely!
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Then, again, when dealing with stigma, mostly those ignorant of what mental health and illness are, might hear Bipolar *Disease* and be even more extreme in their reaction to us. I don’t know how many without BP pay enough attention to disorder vs disease, or if they care.
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hmmm interesting post… still thinking about it but i’m leaning toward disorder… =P just makes more sense to me
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Hi, thanks for letting me know your thoughts. I definitely see that it falls under disorder, no question based on the definition.
But so much of the disease definition strikes me as on point as well. Several factors contributing to it, affected organ, deterioration, etc. That sounds right, too. I have read and even been told by my psychiatrist that each time one has an extreme episode, it kills some of the gray matter in our brains. Some statistics also show our lives are shortened due to Bipolar.
And as far as how it *feels*…it feels like a disease to be managed. My take on it anyway.
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great point!! =)
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Sometimes it’s also referred to as ‘bipolar illness’ and that’s probably the term I relate with the most. Out of curiosity I looked up the dictionary meaning of illness; ‘a disease or period of sickness affecting the body or mind.’ (google).
I think that perfectly encapsulates the fact that it is a disease over which we have no control and our brains physically don’t function correctly, at the same time not sounding contagious or “dirty” like the word disease. For me at least, I think ‘illness’ has less stigma attached to it than ‘disease’ which is probably also why I prefer it. I also think ‘illness’ adds an element of suffering which is lacking somewhat from ‘disorder’.
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Fine points, all. I struggle with illness as well, because I do believe BP is an illness and disease, and I feel like stigma is more associated with those than disorder. But isn’t it time to fight stigma, I say to myself. Not have to watch what I say and how. That’s hard for me. Slippery slope.
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That’s a good point too. I do find myself choosing my words carefully so as not to make people uncomfortable but perhaps I should be less concerned with that than I am.
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It’s just plain hard.
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