%0 Journal Article
%@ 1096-4673
%A Mandla, A
%A Billings, J
%A Moncrieff, J
%D 2017
%F discovery:10047103
%I TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
%J Issues in Mental Health Nursing
%K Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Nursing, Psychiatry, PREVALENCE, SPECTRUM
%N 10
%P 858-864
%T "Being Bipolar": A Qualitative Analysis of the Experience of Bipolar Disorder as Described in Internet Blogs
%U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10047103/
%V 38
%X In the light of debates about the nature of bipolar disorder (BD), the current article presents a thematic analysis of Internet “blogs” by self-identified bipolar sufferers. Extreme and frequent fluctuation of mood was considered the principal feature of BD, along with a broad range of other problems. BD was often invoked as an explanation for life difficulties or lack of achievement, and was mostly regarded as a brain disease. Most bloggers emphasized the importance of drug treatment, along with the self-management techniques. The blogs present a “bipolar identity,” which is much broader than traditional definitions, are based on a medicalized model of the disorder, and are connected to the moral function of enabling people to externalize unwanted aspects of the self.
%Z © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.