Don't Define Yourself As Being Bipolar??

[Bluetwo]

My Social Worker said this and it doesn't make any sense to me. If I was not bp I wouldn't be using this forum to get support for what is going on with me. I wouldn't be using all the medications to make me stable. Bipolar is very apart of my life as those who deal with being diabetes. I hear from diabetics all the time how they control their condition. Bp do the same thing? We can somewhat control our condition by being aware that we have a life long illness and we must be vigilant at all times.

SW still wants me to get with a support group like this on-line forum but doesn't want me to label myself bp?

Maybe she doesn't want me to start off a conversation saying I'm bp because I might scare people??? :)
But what's the sense of that if bp don't  advocate themselves and make this condition mainstream like those who suffer from diabetes.

[kathy434]

I think your SW is trying to tell you not to say you ARE Bipolar, for this is not who you are.  Your SW would rather you say that you are Bluetwo who has Bipolar disorder to deal with.  It takes away labeling yourself in a negative manner.  Do you understand what I am saying?

[juliagulia45]

I recently had my therapist make a similar comment to me... I think there is a shift going on in the world of mental health care, in which the community and professionals are trying to help those of us with this condition see it as something that is not a prime identifier, but as an aspect or part of ourselves. Those in the discussion mentioning that someone with heart disease does not say "I am heart disease" are correct. But changing the thinking is hard. My therapist mentioned to go easy on myself and look at other attributes I have beyond bipolar. Good Luck!

[paranoid_cataclysm]

That's why I like PACT because they all work as a team and have nurses and a psychiatrist and social workers and therapists all working together so they all share the information on you with each other instead of you having to tell each of them over and over again.  Speaking of the readjustment, I told the psychiatrist one time I thought probably only do as well as I do because I had like 20 years to learn how to adjust to it and he told me yeah that's probably why.

[Bluetwo]

Oh...I forgot. In the early 1990's I did have seperate care. I went uptown to see my psychiatrist and went downtown to see my SW but no coordination between the two.

"...that I had many social workers and the like emphasize what I couldn't do and how my life wasn't going to work out and that advice was neither productive nor helpful as they never told me what could. No one likes to feel boxed in."

Your correct! There's no attempt to get back into the real world. Going back to work has been less than stellar for me. SW don't give any advise directing the mental health consumer to advocacy groups who will help them to adjust to the working world.

There's a lot of issues that float up when dealing with the work environment. So basically I've been learning the ropes by myself.

[ILADVOCATE]

I have to be honest. I often found the same issues with social workers. My psychiatrist prescribes medications and does talk therapy at the same time though I understand its best to have those two functions be seperate. However, I never really found much of use in the way of social workers or day programs though I understand its different for each person. As for pragmatic real world advice on what to do such as returning to work and the like, honestly I only found that from peer advocates though there are not enough to go around. Right now I have my own needs that are very real life and I have to rely on my own advice which is not easy. I would say one thing though. Your psychiatrist can determine what medications you need and other related issues but how you refer to yourself and define your needs and accomodations should not be expressed to you by someone who doesn't understand the experience. I always accepted what my psychiatrist told me but outside of that I had many social workers and the like emphasize what I couldn't do and how my life wasn't going to work out and that advice was neither productive nor helpful as they never told me what could. No one likes to feel boxed in.

[Bluetwo]

Yeah, I say "I have bp"....

It seems so funny! Why didn't my other SW talk about that back in 1994 when I was first diagnosed? I never got any advice about how to deal with my bp'ism and coming to terms with the disorder. All I got was..."just take the medication, ma'am."

No advice about returning to work and what to expect.....nothing. That makes me upset.the most.

[Xila31]

I agree. You have bipolar, but you are not made of bipolar. You have many different parts that make you who you are and she wants you to define yourself by those things and not by your illness. For example, I'm a mom, a wife, a writer, a daughter, a singer, I enjoy art and music and movies, I play video games and draw and crochet and I even like watching tv, especially comedy. I also happen to have bipolar, but that doesn't mean it is the only thing I am.

This is the same with all illnesses. My mom had cancer, but she was not cancer. That's the funny thing about it. If someone has cancer, they don't say, "I'm cancer," they say "I have cancer." But us bipolar people have a tendancy to say, "I'm bipolar." Or, even with anxiety, "I have general anxiety disorder." (Which I do,) but I don't say "I"m general anxiety disorder." Do you see what I mean? By saying it differently it changes how we think about it.

So, you have bipolar. Me too! But that doesn't mean you are bipolar disorder.

I hope this helps.  

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Your social worker means to say "I have bipolar disorder" and not "I'm bipolar" so it's saying rather you're a person with the disorder and not a diagnosis.