The day I define my personhood in terms of my illness is the day I lose the struggle. I have the illness the illness doesn't have me. I am VERY newly diagnosed and this is how I'm coping with it. I have a disease that I refer to as Manic depression. Less explaining with that than the bipolar.
People seem to identify with the depression part of the disease.
Now I just wish they would get as excepting of the mania part of the disease. I am not mentally ill. I just have a disease and am much more than this illness. I am a wife, mother, daughter and friend. I am in therapy and see my psychiatrist as needed for insurance purposes.