I am now beginning to realize something that never occurred to me before: I have bipolar disorder. If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would have told you that I am bipolar. What a difference one word makes. I have bipolar.
Over my life, I have been referred to in many ways, always preceded with the words he is.
He is:
1. Bipolar
2. Manic Depressive
3. Mentally Ill
4. Hyper
5. Depressed
6. Nuts
7. Crazy
8. Insane
9. Unpredictable
10. Off the wall
11. Down in the dumps
12. Delusional
13. Blue
14. Insensitive (I really hate this one, because I thought that this word only applied to others.)
The words listed above, as well as others too numerous to list, do matter. They affect the way that I see myself, as well as the way I act (or more accurately, react). Sometimes they make me feel depressed. Sometimes they make me lash out. Sometimes they just hurt.
Right now I have bipolar. Im trying very hard to understand this. Sometimes a word means nothing. Sometimes a word means everything. Words matter.
Read more of Roger’s posts here.