Bipolar 101

After receiving a bipolar diagnosis, you need clear answers. Bipolar 101 is a straightforward guide to understanding bipolar disorder. It includes all the information you need to control your symptoms and live better. Authored by both a psychologist and a mental health expert who has bipolar disorder herself, this pocket guide is the only book on bipolar disorder you'll ever need.

This book talks about my journey with Bipolar Disorder and has information for both those suffering and those who have loved ones who suffer with bipolar.

Whether you personally struggling with extreme highs and frightening lows of the bipolar disorder, or someone close to you does, this compassionate and comprehensive guide book on bipolar disorder will provide you with the insight necessary to accurately understand, manage and cope with the condition. At present approximately 5.7 million Americans get affected by bipolar disorder each year and this illness is now classified as one of the ten leading causes of disability in the US. These days bipolar is one of the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric conditions among teens, adolescences, and adults. According to a recent worldwide survey, US has the highest lifetime rate of bipolar disorder of 4.4%. This book provides a much-needed resource for family and friends of the millions of American suffering from bipolar disorder. The book contains up-to-date information and practical problem-solving advice that you can count on. Written by an accomplished bipolar expert, the book is designed to help you manage manic episodes and periods of severe depression. Every individual's experience with bipolar disorder is different, but the book offers a bipolar coping plan that suits everybody's needs. This reliable guide takes an accessible approach to bipolar disorder, full of helpful information and only book on bipolar disorder you will ever need.

If you buy just one book on bipolar disorder, let this be it. There’s an old saying: “Prevention is better than cure.” If you have bipolar disorder, this is especially true. For you, it's incredibly important to read the warning signs of a possible episode. For instance, you may find you are not sleeping as well as usual, or you might be sleeping too much. You may stop doing things that you normally enjoy, or you may start acting out your impulses in ways that alienate those around you or get you into trouble. While the path to wellness for those with bipolar may involve psychiatric visits and medication adjustments, preventing manic and depressive episodes is the true key to staying healthy and happy. So how do you do it? And most importantly, how can you keep yourself motivated? In this powerful, breakthrough book, bipolar expert Ruth C. White shares her own personal approach to relapse prevention using the innovative program SNAP (Sleep, Nutrition, Activity, and People). White also offers practical tips and tracking tools you can use anytime, anywhere. By making necessary lifestyle adjustments, you can maintain balanced moods, recognize the warning signs of an oncoming episode, and make the necessary changes to reduce or prevent it. This is the first and only book on bipolar disorder that focuses exclusively on prevention. To help you stay well, White includes links to helpful online tracking tools so that you can manage your symptoms, anytime, anywhere. If you are ready to stop living in fear of your next episode, this life-changing book can help you take charge of your diagnosis—and your life.

Bipolar disorder is a common, complex and costly mental health disorder, which sits at the heart of the practice of clinical psychiatry. Effective treatments (pharmacological, psychological and brain stimulation based) have all been discovered serendipitously. With the huge advances in basic neuroscience the way is now clear for novel treatments to be developed based on brain science. This book reviews these possibilities.

Although depression is the most common presentation of bipolar disorder, correct diagnosis generally requires a history of mania and thus presents a formidable challenge. This book provides clinicians with the necessary guidance to distinguish this illness and pursue an appropriate therapeutic course. It brings together a team of clinical investigators who offer cutting-edge research on the topic and address the most critical concerns regarding its treatment. Bipolar Depression first introduces a hierarchical model for diagnosis to allow the clinician to distinguish between bipolar and unipolar depression, addressing problems of misdiagnosis and overdiagnosis as well as differentiating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and bipolar disorder. Early chapters review the neurobiology and genetics of this highly heritable condition, presenting studies of neurotransmitter function and brain imaging studies and documenting the susceptibility of specific chromosomes as loci for bipolar disorder. Other chapters address the particular issues of bipolar depression in children, for whom a diagnosis is especially problematic, and suicide, focusing on the need for assessment during both acute and maintenance treatment with interventions appropriate to a patient's symptoms and history. Bipolar Depression offers critiques of specific treatment approaches: Lithium and antiepileptic drugs: featuring a review of the most recent research on the use of lithium, in which higher doses are shown to be effective, plus coverage of lamotrigine, valproic acid, carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate. Antidepressants: offering new perspectives on a complex field, including a discussion of the randomized clinical trial literature and observational studies on their use, and citing cautions regarding side effects. Antipsychotics: evaluating the difference between first- and second-generation medications and discussing their role in controlling acute depressions. Novel approaches to treatment: including the use of atypical neuroleptics, electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, ketogenic diet, omega-3 fatty acids, myo-inositol, and dopamine agonists. Psychological interventions: focusing on the inclusion of cognitive-behavioral therapy or interpersonal social rhythm therapy for nonmelancholic depressions in patients who had previously received psychoeducation. Despite the past decade's advances in practice and research, there remains much room for progress in understanding and treating bipolar depression. This book blazes a trail toward that goal, opening new doors in recognizing differences between bipolar and unipolar forms of depression while offering both researchers and clinicians key insights into this troubling illness.

An essential resource for anyone who has a close relationship with a person who is bipolar This book provides a much-needed resource for family and friends of the more than 5 million American adults suffering from bipolar disorder. From psychotic behavior that requires medication to milder mood swings with disturbing ups and down, this book offers a warm and often humorous user-friend guide for coping with bipolar loved ones, colleagues, and friends. The book includes Guidance for identifying bipolar disorder symptoms and how to get the diagnosis confirmed Strategies for dealing with rants, attacks, blame, depression, mania and other behaviors Crucial information on medication and its effectiveness and potential side-effects Techniques for dealing with attempts to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol How many people with bipolar disorders can care for themselves, get help, feel supported and go on with their own lives This important book contains real-life illustrative examples and a wealth of helpful strategies and coping mechanisms that can be put into action immediately.