Dissatisfaction with the term 'Bipolar'

Whereas pansexuals are dissatisfied with the 'bi' part of 'bisexual,' I'm unhappy about the 'bi' in 'bipolar.' I think it's misleading.

'Bipolar' suggests that there is only one axis with depression at one end and euphoria at the other. In actual fact it's much more complicated than that. For a start mania is not always euphoric - it can also be accompanied by high irritability and anger for example. Then there are the mixed moods that some of us experience - in my case the increased energy of a high accompanied by strong negativity.

If I had to visualise bipolar disorder it would be a bit like the outline of an irregular star made from some stiff wire, like a coat hanger, and then warped so that points were sprouting in all directions. It would certainly have more than one dimension.

However, fantastic as this blog might be, I don't think I'm quite prolific enough to start renaming illnesses. Besides of which, people have only just got used to the switch from 'manic depression.'