As someone consulting here you might notice that if you say "I am depressed", I might ask "How did you notice depression first influence your life?" or "When did the depression first begin to impact your life?" These are an example of how I separate the person from the problem. This can help move from what I call problem-centered identities towards a more full description of life and can help put problems in their broader context.
By separating people from the problems we are able to observe the effects of the problem on your life and on your relationships more objectively. This allows you to make conscience, choices about your preferred life and identity.
