Furious Seasons

December 21, 2005

How We Talk About Bipolar Disorder When We Talk About Bipolar Disorder

Several smart people in the mental health world have bitched at me because I describe bipolars as being bipolar. They would much prefer the term "person with bipolar disorder," as if the rhetorical distancing somehow makes having bipolar disorder easier to come to grips with. The also tell me that saying bipolar to describe someone with the disorder is stigmatizing. If that's true, then let the stigmatizing begin! (That's a joke. Honest.)

First, I don't see the sense as a writer--and, on occasion, a thinker--in accomplishing in four words what takes me one. Second, I don't understand where such political correctness buys the mentally ill any leverage in society. Third, we have bigger concerns to spend our time and energy on if we are ever going to get any relief for schizophrenics, depressives, bipolars and the rest of our crew. Worrying about the cleanliness of our political language is a waste of time and resources.

We've got bigger problems around the performance of psych meds, access to treatment, the scope of what's considered treatment, a public mental health system that doesn't work, a private mental health system that's even worse, a health insurance system that is inadequate by any measure, a criminal justice system that is being used to house "persons with mental illness" and patients who give up on themselves. There's so much more, of course, too.

So, until someone can come up with a more effective two-syllable term, then I am calling bipolars bipolars. Besides, I am one myself (of very long standing) and I get to describe myself and my cohorts any damn way I please.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at December 21, 2005 02:12 AM

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Comments

That's one thing that I've really had to work on myself as a writer: Wordiness.

When I was 18, I wrote a 300 page book about my struggles with schizophrenia. Everyone who read it, including proffesional editors and literary consultants, thought it was extremely compelling and most likely worthy of publication. However, there was one thing I really had to work on -- my usage of words.

I love words. I love playing with words, I love manipulating words, stringing words, breaking words, crushing, tweaking and refining words.

But sometimes I'd get a little carried away and my words, my beautiful words, would start becoming verbose and redundant. For instance, I would say things such as: "I loved it to the greatest extent possible" when a simple, "I loved it" would suffice. And I would try to explain and describe situations or circumstances, using all these words and phrases, when a humble few word analogy would be far better. "His words cut into me like a sharp knife" is much more powerful than going on and on about how I was so upset and so sad and so angry and so this and that. Less is more, is what I've come to learn.

In that light, "Bipolar" is indeed better than "Person with bipolar disorder".

Posted by: Gwen Davis at December 21, 2005 12:23 PM

You can call me bipolar anyday!

Posted by: Kelly at December 22, 2005 03:23 PM

I tend to just tell people I'm manic-depressive - it's a harsher term, to some degree, but no less elusive a name than "bipolar." (Some friends have called me the bipolar bear behind my back...)

I don't especially like being called "a bipolar", as in "he's a bipolar." Sounds as awkward as being called "a gay," or "a bi." I prefer the direct "he's bipolar."

People who think that a change in language changes the way people behave never seem to get it in their heads that if the sentence construction is awkward, only other eggheads will adopt it. After all, what is *really* the qualitative difference between:

"colored people"

which my grandmother said her whole life and it made her look like a racist, and

"people of color"? which only (generally white) academics even bother to say anymore.

You know, maybe I take it back. Maybe I'd really like an academic-created PC-approved term to alter people's perception of my illness. As a Type Two with mixed state euphoria, dysphoria, mania and depression, how 'bout you just call me "binary-enhanced - with a twist?"

- gregoryp(tm)

Posted by: gregoryp(tm) at December 22, 2005 10:53 PM

i'm calling you all bipolar. except gwen.

Posted by: Dawdy at December 22, 2005 11:52 PM

I feel the love, Philip!

Posted by: Gwen Davis at December 23, 2005 12:16 PM