eprintid: 10047103 rev_number: 26 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/10/04/71/03 datestamp: 2018-04-19 11:21:27 lastmod: 2021-10-08 21:57:55 status_changed: 2018-04-19 11:21:27 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Mandla, A creators_name: Billings, J creators_name: Moncrieff, J title: "Being Bipolar": A Qualitative Analysis of the Experience of Bipolar Disorder as Described in Internet Blogs ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C07 divisions: D79 keywords: Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Nursing, Psychiatry, PREVALENCE, SPECTRUM note: © 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. abstract: 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. date: 2017-09-05 date_type: published publisher: TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC official_url: http://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2017.1355947 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green article_type_text: Article verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1419306 doi: 10.1080/01612840.2017.1355947 lyricists_name: Billings, Joanne Lynn lyricists_name: Moncrieff, Joanna lyricists_id: JLBIL35 lyricists_id: JMMON33 actors_name: Moncrieff, Joanna actors_name: Laslett, David actors_id: JMMON33 actors_id: DLASL34 actors_role: owner actors_role: impersonator full_text_status: public publication: Issues in Mental Health Nursing volume: 38 number: 10 pagerange: 858-864 pages: 7 issn: 1096-4673 citation: Mandla, A; Billings, J; Moncrieff, J; (2017) "Being Bipolar": A Qualitative Analysis of the Experience of Bipolar Disorder as Described in Internet Blogs. Issues in Mental Health Nursing , 38 (10) pp. 858-864. 10.1080/01612840.2017.1355947 <https://doi.org/10.1080/01612840.2017.1355947>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10047103/1/Moncrieff_BD_IMHN_accepted0717.pdf