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sarahsweets
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Default Jun 21, 2019 at 07:00 AM
  #1
I read an article the other day that I will try and find. It was about someone who has a disability and person-first language that would prefer to be identified by their disability-as in "I am disabled" or " I am autistic" vs. I am a person with autism or I am a person with a disability. She says its ok with her to have her disability entwined with who she is because to her its very much what defines her. So it got me thinking.

Sometimes I say "I have bipolar or I am bipolar". A lot of times I will say "I have adhd" or "I am adhd" . I do not think I am bothered one way or another about it. If someone said "she's bipolar" rather than she has bipolar I think I would be ok with that too. I am not bother by people wanting person-first language but I think maybe I do not understand what that means.

Can someone else chime in on what person-first language is as it pertains to disabilities and mental health disorders? What do you think about it? Are you offended if someone uses on over the other? Are you bothered by it?

I think its easy to get the nuances confused when talking about these things. I am sure I have slipped up and said something the wrong way so I am curious as to what you all think about it.

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Default Jun 21, 2019 at 10:04 AM
  #2
I don't mind saying "I have depression" or "I am depressed." What bothers me is when the diagnosis is turned into an adjective, such as saying "all the bipolars" or "all the depressives." Person first language is not denying the above or not saying the above. You will notice those statements all say "I". Who starts a sentence "well, as a bipolar..." No one. If someone wants to refer to themselves that way, whatever, I don't care, it's your life. But don't refer to me or all of us or others who have not given consent to be referred to as "autistics" or "bipolars" or "depressives" or "schizos". That is my preference.

I think it's important to note that not all people with disabilities feel the way the person in the article you mentioned feel. I also think a lot of it is about context and sensitivity. And that is what's often lacking when someone misuses the terms and then claims that it's okay.

FYI, I'm not answering this to engage in a debate. I'm just responding to the OP's questions on how I think and feel about it.

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Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia.

Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien

Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less...
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Default Jun 21, 2019 at 10:22 AM
  #3
Quote:
Originally Posted by sarahsweets View Post
I read an article the other day that I will try and find. It was about someone who has a disability and person-first language that would prefer to be identified by their disability-as in "I am disabled" or " I am autistic" vs. I am a person with autism or I am a person with a disability. She says its ok with her to have her disability entwined with who she is because to her its very much what defines her. So it got me thinking.

Sometimes I say "I have bipolar or I am bipolar". A lot of times I will say "I have adhd" or "I am adhd" . I do not think I am bothered one way or another about it. If someone said "she's bipolar" rather than she has bipolar I think I would be ok with that too. I am not bother by people wanting person-first language but I think maybe I do not understand what that means.

Can someone else chime in on what person-first language is as it pertains to disabilities and mental health disorders? What do you think about it? Are you offended if someone uses on over the other? Are you bothered by it?

I think its easy to get the nuances confused when talking about these things. I am sure I have slipped up and said something the wrong way so I am curious as to what you all think about it.
to understand why some are offended by being defined by their mental disorder you will need to know about something called Stigmatized. you see here in america we have laws about things like this.

a person here in america are not supposed to be defined by their mental or physical disorder or their race or gender...

their gender, race, physical or mental handicap can not enter into whether they can or cant do things...

example I have dissociative disorders. but dissociative disorders does not define me (who and what I am and whether or not I can be hired or fired from jobs, whether I can attend community events or enjoy a public movie, go out to dinner.....)

let me show you the difference....

if I said to someone I have a dissociative disorder. its like saying I have a cold or drat it all I have a head ache...

now put the same sentence into I am

I am a headache
I am a cold virus
I am a dissociation disorder

the first paragraph is saying I have these problems that can be worked on

the second paragraph is saying more negative things about myself. .....

I am a headache means Im a pain in someones behind or a trouble maker, I am a cold virus means Im going to bring down everything around me and I am a dissociation disorder means I will always and forever be unpredictable, triggered, upset, numb, spaced out, people better stay away.

its like talking about being native american. I can call myself a sqaw or I can say my cultural background is native american.

its like calling one self stupid versus saying my education is this or that.

or saying I am a retard vs saying I have learning disorders.

mostly its a personal preference but there are laws around this thing called stigmatizing one self and others.

here in america we have laws saying a person is not defined by their race, gender nor handicaps. we have special laws and services to ensure people with race, gender, physical and mental handicapped are not treated as if all they are is their race gender or physical/ mental handicaps.

my suggestion is check with your own locations laws and such to see where things stand on this issue and go according to your own laws and personal preferences.
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sarahsweets
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Default Jun 21, 2019 at 11:26 AM
  #4
It’s Perfectly OK To Call A Disabled Person ‘Disabled,’ And Here's Why | HuffPost Life
Here is the article. I regret that it is more about the actual term disabled and disability and I should have highlighted that in my op. I should also mention that I feel person first language is the most respectful when it comes to addressing or identifying someone with a disability or condition. It’s hard to take offense by this way of doing things even if you are against person first language. But you can’t really offend someone by using it vs offending them by calling them by their condition or disorder /disability. Someone here I think it was @seesaw said they weren’t trying to debate this and I’m not either. But I am interested in a discussion about it from both viewpoints. I still think I need to understand both sides and welcome respectful engagement.

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Default Jun 21, 2019 at 12:01 PM
  #5
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Originally Posted by sarahsweets View Post
It’s Perfectly OK To Call A Disabled Person ‘Disabled,’ And Here's Why | HuffPost Life
Here is the article. I regret that it is more about the actual term disabled and disability and I should have highlighted that in my op. I should also mention that I feel person first language is the most respectful when it comes to addressing or identifying someone with a disability or condition. It’s hard to take offense by this way of doing things even if you are against person first language. But you can’t really offend someone by using it vs offending them by calling them by their condition or disorder /disability. Someone here I think it was @seesaw said they weren’t trying to debate this and I’m not either. But I am interested in a discussion about it from both viewpoints. I still think I need to understand both sides and welcome respectful engagement.
Yeah, I was just responding to your question because it seemed like you wanted to hear different views, so I gave mine, but I also just wanted to be clear that I'm not into debating it. Others can do so if they want, of course.

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What if I fall? Oh, my dear, but what if you fly?

Primary Dx: C-PTSD and Severe Chronic Treatment Resistant Major Depressive Disorder
Secondary Dx: Generalized Anxiety Disorder with mild Agoraphobia.

Meds I've tried: Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, Remeron, Elavil, Wellbutrin, Risperidone, Abilify, Prazosin, Paxil, Trazadone, Tramadol, Topomax, Xanax, Propranolol, Valium, Visteril, Vraylar, Selinor, Clonopin, Ambien

Treatments I've done: CBT, DBT, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), Talk therapy, psychotherapy, exercise, diet, sleeping more, sleeping less...
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Default Jun 21, 2019 at 02:16 PM
  #6
I am bipolar. That encompasses who I am and what I identify myself by. I had a woman vehemently get pretty irate when I said this once. She wouldn't let it go. I tried to say describe yourself as you wish to be described it doesn't really matter but this is how I see myself. Besides it is not like a headache or cancer or other physical issue. These things you have, they are not what you identify with.
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