An Introduction To My Blog: Multifaceted Mirror

My Multifaceted Mirror: Learning and Living Bipolar 

Sharing My Experiences with a Bio-Psycho-Social Illness

A Brief Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my new blog, Multifaceted Mirror.  This is my first post on what I hope will become a useful tool to educate others, learn from others, help others, help myself, and, to the extent possible, have some good times. I do expect some controversy from time to time as many of my views seem unpopular with many people when my ideas are first encountered, but the reasons behind my thoughts will be made clear over time.  I will share my strengths, weaknesses, experiences, coping skills, hobbies, and other facets of my life.  Just about everything has at least two "sides" when it comes to how I am impacted, some sides are positive at times, other negatives at times, and, of course, some are wildly transient.  At times, like now, I will simply write "stream of thought," and other times my writing will have a much more professional or scholarly tone.   I often go by the nickname "JD," and that is perhaps the best way to address me; someday I might start to use my "real" name.  

What is a Bio-Psycho-Social Illness?

I few years ago, I decided I much preferred the term "Bio-Psycho-Social Illness" over "Mental Illness."  The two are equivalent in common usage by many people, including the general public, health professionals, government, and corporations, most notably the insurance industry in my opinion.  When I look at my history with my illness, and the histories of other people with the illnesses I have gotten to know over the years, I found that we all share something in common. Our symptoms and characteristics which define our diagnoses, or "labels," are multifaceted:

• Biological factors are involved, whether neurochemical, endocrine, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or differences in brain structure.  These are PHYSICAL, not mental.
• Psychological components involve how we think.  All people have some type of thinking issues, not just those with "mental illnesses."  From my perspective, mental illness is part of the human condition!
• Social influences, whether past or current, have much to do with our thought patterns.  We often learn them from our parents, siblings, peers, and in school, and much is unhealthy.  For many, this is the most sinister aspect of the illness.

The term "Bio-Psycho_Social Illness" still is not a great name, but for me, at least, it is better than "mental illness."  Another I have heard is "brain disorder," and I do not like that at all.  Until it is possible to actually give specific diagnoses based on hard data instead of just observations, I feel the terminology will always be rather poor at best, and very destructive at worst.

I did not create the term.  I was reading an article in a journal in my psychiatrist's office one day, and the doctor who wrote the article seemed to be the one who coined the name.  His view, which I already shared, was that many problems involving stigmatization and discrimination will not go away as long as "mental illness" is  used as it is currently.  

More Information about What To Expect

I hope to write on many topics, and I also hope I can post at least several times a week.  I will share coping skills I have learned, recipes, poetry, art, assorted things I have written, discuss medications and symptoms, try to respond to comments with articles, and share whatever else I know or learn I feel might be useful in some way.  Work, health, and other issues affect how much time I can spend on this project, though, perhaps, someday I will earn some income from being an advocate.  

Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction, and I hope you will return and share some more!

JD                                5/29/2014