Taming Bipolar Disorder

Living and thriving with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is about the wildest of euphorias and the deepest of depressions. Now, Alpha Books and Psychology Today present all the information, guidance, and support people with bipolar disorder—and their loved ones—need in order to thrive. This important book contains cutting-edge research and straightforward advice from the most respected names on bipolar disorder, along with the most up-to-date information on mental health organizations and support and advocacy groups. In addition, readers will find inspiring stories of courage and triumph. • More than two million Americans live with bipolar disorder—and it’s on the rise among children and adolescents. • Includes strategies for navigating the health care system, nurturing relationships, advancing in the workplace, and repairing bridges burned during mania and depression. • Features the latest research—from new pharmaceuticals to innovative therapies, dietary changes to acupuncture, light therapy to mood charting.

The first biography of the ground breaking Australian doctor who discovered the first pharmacological treatment for mental illness. For most of human history, mental illness has been largely untreatable. Sufferers lived their lives - if they survived - in and out of asylums, accumulating life's wreckage around them. In 1948, all that changed when an Australian doctor and recently returned prisoner of war, working alone in a disused kitchen, set about an experimental treatment for one of the scourges of mankind - manic depression, or bipolar disorder. That doctor was John Cade and in that small kitchen he stirred up a miracle. John Cade discovered a treatment that has become the gold standard for bipolar disorder - lithium. It has stopped more people from committing suicide than a thousand help lines. Lithium is the penicillin story of mental health - the first effective medication discovered for the treatment of a mental illness - and it is, without doubt, Australia's greatest mental health story.

Brett's most recent manic episode has derailed him from life as the director of operations at a prominent software start-up in Texas. He is now at home, fully dependent on his mother, and officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Brett is terrified. He has no guarantees on his long-term health, no understanding of how his medication works and is still dealing with hell-like anxiety, restlessness, mania, and depression. Crossing Back Over: The Practice of Owning and Accepting Bipolar Disorder details Brett's battle with taming the beast that is bipolar. Written in the same style as part 1 of his story, Crossover: A Look inside a Manic Mind, Crossing Back Over sheds light on what true recovery looks and feels like from a firsthand account. No matter the environment, recovering from a serious event takes hard work, discipline, patience, and acceptance. Crossing Back Over allows the reader to peek behind the curtain of an individual determined to find a happy life, even with his chronic brain disorder. This book is valuable for anyone who is facing a deeply personal challenge.

The Bipolar Expeditionist describes what it is like to experience every level of mania right up to the fully blown stage, as well as the depressing stagnating flipside. Far less stigma and taboo are attached to illnesses of the mind these days, but that's still not good enough, so these issues are also addressed. This book enables readers of any level, age or race to comprehend an often tricky subject in a way that isn't too heavy and overpowering, but with just enough mental glue to stick. The Bipolar Expeditionist is not only a true story, it is an inspirational tool that can be used by caregivers, sufferers and medical professionals for many years to come. Optimism oozes out of the pages, telling the bipolar beholder or their loved ones that all is never lost. By the time The Bipolar Expeditionist has been read you will realise exactly why you will never be left alone, and that despite the agonizing slog you will always past the test, and then go on to enjoy a fulfilling and creative life, just as God intended.

Thoroughly updated for its Second Edition, this practical guide will aid residents and clinicians in diagnosing and treating the full spectrum of mood disorders. Using the conversational style and clinical vignettes found in all Practical Guides in Psychiatry titles, Dr. Ghaemi explains how to accurately diagnose unipolar depression and bipolar disorder and offers specific, detailed, evidence-based recommendations on pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Chapters review the pharmacology of all antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics in current use and point out these drugs' advantages and drawbacks in specific clinical situations. Other chapters address clinical problems such as depression, mania, and ADHD in children and the conundrum of schizoaffective disorder. The Practical Guides in Psychiatry series provides quick, concise information for professionals on the front lines of mental health care. Written in an easy-to-read, conversational style, these invaluable resources take you through each step of the psychiatric care process, delivering fast facts and helpful strategies that help you provide effective and compassionate care to your patients.

Motivational speaker Bob Kramer bases his recommendations on his own experiences with depression and bipolar disorder.