The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know - by: David J. Miklowitz

Thanks to sharper diagnosis and better medicine, the future is brighter for people with bipolar disorder than in past generations. But if you or someone you love is struggling with the frantic highs and crushing lows of this illness, there are still many hurdles to surmount at home, at work, and in daily life.

*How can you learn to distinguish between the early warning signs of mood swings and the normal ups and downs of life?
*What medications are available, and what are their side effects?
*What should you do when you find yourself escalating into mania or descending into depression?
*How can you get the help and support you need from family members and friends?
*How can you tell your coworkers about your illness without endangering your career?

In this comprehensive guide, Dr. David J. Miklowitz offers straight talk that can help you tackle these and related questions, take charge of your illness, and reclaim your life. A leading researcher and clinical specialist who knows what works, Dr. Miklowitz supplies proven tools to help you achieve balance--and free yourself from the emotional and financial havoc that result when symptoms rule your life--without sacrificing your right to rich and varied emotional experiences.

This essential resource will help you and your family members come to terms with the diagnosis, recognize early warning signs of manic or depressive episodes, cope with triggers of mood swings, resolve medication problems, and learn to collaborate effectively with doctors and therapists. You'll learn specific ways to ask for support and help from your family and friends--and what to do when their "caring" feels like "controlling." For times when the going gets tough, a wealth of examples of how others have dealt with similar challenges offer new perspectives and new solutions.

Whether you have recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, are considering seeking help for the first time, or have been in treatment for years, this empowering book is designed to help put you--not your illness--back in charge of your life.

Thanks to sharper diagnosis and better medicine, the future is far brighter for people with bipolar disorder than was thought possible in past generations. But those struggling with the frantic highs and crushing lows of this illness still have many hurdles to surmount at home, at work, and in daily life. This comprehensive guide offers straight talk that can help people with bipolar disorder take charge of their illness and reclaim their lives. It is filled with practical self-assessment and self-management strategies from a compassionate professional who knows what works. The book helps individuals and family members come to terms with the diagnosis; recognize early warning signs of manic or depressive episodes; cope with triggers for mood swings; manage medication problems and family and work issues; and learn to collaborate effectively with doctors and therapists. Above all, it supplies proven tools to help readers reach toward achieving balance--without sacrificing their right to a rich and varied emotional life.

Reviewer: Diana Marta, BSN, RN (Rush University Medical Center)Description: This is a layman's guide to bipolar disorder. Designed as a supplement to medication, this book targets patients and their families in an effort to enhance treatment with self-management techniques. Purpose: In addition to medication and therapy, the author proposes that self-management is an important tool that can be used by the patient and the family to help recognize the symptoms and help prevent more severe episodes. Any attempt to involve the patient and family in care is a worthy one. This book accomplishes its objectives with this easy-to-read manual. Audience: This book is designed primarily for patients and family, although anyone in a support or professional role working with affected clients could benefit from this information. The author has done extensive research for the NIMH, including showing that self-management techniques, when combined with medication, improve outcome. Features: After covering medication and diagnosis of bipolar disorder, the author breaks down self-management into four steps: 1) accepting the diagnosis, 2) becoming an expert on one's moods, 3) educating family and friends, and 4) enlisting support. Recognizing how misunderstood the illness is and how much more resistance to treatment occurs, this book attempts to address both of these issues. I liked the proposed contracts and forms suggested as extra tools and the book's organization. Assessment: As a layman's tool, I think this is an excellent resource. It breaks down bipolar illness into manageable components, poses questions about each, and then presents practical and realistic solutions that can be used by the patient and family to enhance treatment. My only concern is whether it will be perceived as a replacement for medication rather than as a supplement to it. That certainly is only a minor concern. For the most part, I think this is an excellent addition to a patient or family's reference library.

Hard on the heels of Fuller Torrey and Michael B. Knable's excellent Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families and Providers (LJ 1/02) comes another strong title. Both books cover the origins, symptoms, and treatments for bipolar disorder, with emphasis on current medications. The main difference between the two books is that the current title by Miklowitz (psychology, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder) is intended for patients. It spends a good deal of time on issues exclusive to the sufferer how to come to terms with the diagnosis, whom to confide in, and how to recognize one's own mood swings. More concise in its treatment of the issues just mentioned, Torrey and Knable's title is addressed to a more general audience, spends more time reviewing the scientific evidence concerning the origins of the disease, and has a much more useful resource list. On the whole, Surviving Manic Depression would be the first choice for most libraries, with Miklowitz's book recommended for patient education libraries and medium and large public libraries. Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide is a practical, straightforward book that will be a great help to those who have bipolar illness, as well as their families. — Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, author of An Unquiet Mind and Night Falls Fast

Dr. Miklowitz's pioneering research has proven that education about bipolar disorder and its treatment can actually affect the course of the illness, even though it stems from biological causes. This authoritative, eminently readable book provides just the right tools for patients and families seeking to lessen the impact of this disorder on their lives. — Frederick K. Goodwin, MD, coauthor of Manic-Depressive Illness