Learning the language of Bipolar Disoder

It can be very frustating sometimes for the Carers of a loved one with Bipolar Disorder in learning to cope with the ups and downs.
I know for me, I did a lot of research into the illness and educated myself on coping strategies.

Whats more, once I had done so, I was not only equipped to deal with my late Husband s illness, I was able to see past the illness and see Anthony for him.
In my opinion, this was a special gift to me as seeing past the illness is very hard to achieve but nevertheless, it can be acheived.

Language and terminology in mental health - or rather, mental illness - is
fraught with differences of opinion and ideology, and different preferences
for expression.
Many people adhere to the medical model, the dominant view in
psychiatry, that there are mental illnesses in much the same way as there
are physical illnesses or disorders. Within the medical model, bipolar
disorder (or manic depression) is seen as a bio-chemical disorder, and
many people find this a useful way of thinking about their experiences.
However, many other people do not, wishing instead to challenge the way
the medical model encourages professionals to label people within a
restricted set of categories and treat them accordingly.
This particular report tends to use the language of the illness model as this
is the preference of the author and most of the participants.
It is hoped that the experiences and coping strategies shared in the report
will be of use to all carers of someone with bipolar disorder, regardless of
their individual ways of understanding and describing their experiences.