The PsyCom.Net Book Service presents books on

Bipolar (Manic-Depressive) Disorder

An Unquiet Mind
By, Kay Redfield Jamison

In Touched with Fire, Kay Redfield Jamison, a clinical psychologist, turned a mirror on the creativity so often associated with mental illness. In this book she turns that mirror on herself. With breathtaking honesty she tells of her own manic depression, the bitter costs of her illness, and its paradoxical benefits: "There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness and terror involved in this kind of madness.... It will never end, for madness carves its own reality." This is one of the best scientific autobiographies ever written, a combination of clarity, truth, and insight into human character. "We are all, as Byron put it, differently organized," Jamison writes. "We each move within the restraints of our temperament and live up only partially to its possibilities." Jamison's ability to live fully within her limitations is an inspiration to her fellow mortals, whatever our particular burdens may be.
--Mary Ellen Curtin

I found this book to be extremely helpful in dealing with and accepting my 39 year old son's ten year battle with bipolar illness. I have entered an order to buy three additional copies for family members-who sometimes are in denial that it is a real medical illness & think of it as only an excuse for not taking responsibility. I have read several books on bipolar disorder but find that this book gives one a real sense of empowerment. David Miklowitz has written a book that is clear and concise and ends much of the confusion as to dealing with the illness.

If your depression keeps coming back or is even getting worse, then you may be suffering from bipolar II or “soft” bipolar disorder. Commonly misdiagnosed, these mood disorders are characterized by recurring bouts of depression along with anxiety, irritability, mood swings, sleep problems, or intrusive thoughts. Why Am I Still Depressed? shows you how to identify if you have a nonmanic form of bipolar disorder and how to work with your doctor to safely and effectively treat it. Author James R. Phelps, M.D., gives you the latest tools and knowledge so you can: * Understand the Mood Spectrum, a powerful new tool for diagnosis
* Know all your treatment options, including mood-stabilizing medications and research-tested psychotherapies
* Examine the potential hazards of taking antidepressants
* Manage your condition with exercise and lifestyle changes
* Help family and friends with this condition understand their diagnosis and find treatment

For any caregiver experiencing life with a bipolar child, Demitri and Janice Papolos's The Bipolar Child will be an indispensable reference guide. The material is presented clearly, with lots of helpful charts and lists to aid in receiving proper diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care. All medical information is relayed with the aim of helping parents to ensure effective treatment for their children and includes journal-tracking formats to help caregivers provide accurate information to personal physicians. Importantly, many pages are devoted to discussions about the emotional upheavals that living with a bipolar child can bring, and how parents and children can cope most effectively. The book is filled with families' stories that do a beautiful job providing comfort and inspiration to others. A detailed chapter on hospitalization covers everything from insurance to types of treatments. The authors provide excellent information regarding improved educational practices, with step-by-step instructions for goal-setting with your child and communicating your child's needs to school personnel. The Bipolar Child is a satisfying and wise read.
--Jill Lightner

The march of science in explaining human nature continues. In Touched With Fire, Jamison marshals a tremendous amount of evidence for the proposition that most artistic geniuses were (and are) manic depressives. This is a book of interest to scientists, psychologists, and artists struggling with the age-old question of whether psychological suffering is an essential component of artistic creativity. Anyone reading this book closely will be forced to conclude that it is. Very Highly Recommended.

Julie Fast and John Preston have written a ground breaking book for couples who want to prevent manic depressive disorder from hijacking their relationship. Fast, a health writer diagnosed with bipolar illness and clinical psychologist Preston are ideal companions. Their innovative ideas will be welcomed by exhausted partners of "bipolar individuals"--whose illness can cause them to alternate between manic and depressed behavior. Once medication has been prescribed, the key is studying the specific ways your partner is effected. This allows couples to develop pro-active strategies for treating and stabilizing mood swings and symptoms, before they develop into full-blown crises. The techniques emphasize prevention, rather than putting out fires. These include understanding the difference between the person and the disease (know when "the bipolar disorder is talking") listing your partner's specific symptoms, identifying the triggers that lead to these symptoms and transforming the "bipolar conversation" The goal of all the tools is to pinpoint early warning signs of a manic or depressive episode and be prepared with a holistic treatment plan. Other segments of the book deal with the work (checkered resumes) and financial problems (spending sprees) created by this illness. The author's ideas are engaging, compassionate and realistic--an oasis of relief and hope.
--Barbara Mackoff

For many people with bipolar disorder, if not most, medication management is only a partial solution. With this book, expert clinician and master educator Monica Ramirez Basco helps bipolar sufferers and their significant others play a more active role in managing the illness and reducing the risk of relapse. User friendly and a virtual gold mine of practical strategies, this workbook provides essential tools for mastering this all too puzzling illness.
--Michael E. Thase, M.D.
This is, undoubtedly, one of the best workbooks on bipolar disorder in a long time. It is thorough, realistic, and should be given to all bipolar patients as part of their treatment plan. Highly recommended. Five stars.
--Doody's Electronic Journal

Seven years ago, John McManamy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Through his successful Web site and newsletter, he has turned his struggles into a lifelong dedication to helping others battling depression and bipolar disorder reclaim their lives. In Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder, he brilliantly blends the knowledge of leading expert authorities with the experiences of his fellow patients, as well as his own, and offers extensive information on:
* Diagnosing the problem
* Associated illnesses and symptoms
* Treatments, lifestyle, and coping
* The effects of depression and bipolar disorder on relationships and sex

With a compassionate and eloquent voice, McManamy describes his belief that depression is a wide spectrum that reaches from occasional bouts of depression to full-fledged bipolar disorder. The first book to help patients recognize this diversity of the disorder, Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder will help sufferers begin to reclaim their lives.

I got this book because it was recommended highly by readers of the "Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide." I was NOT disappointed. Dr. Fink takes a sharp, problem-focused approach in her writing.

I've shown the book to both my therapist and my psychiatrist. Both loved the writing style. My psychiatrist (who used other For Dummies books to learn Excel and Word and likes the writing style) is going to buy the book. My therapist (they're two of a four-member group practice) is going to borrow it if he doesn't buy his own copy! I wouldn't be surprised if all four read and recommend it.
--C. Perrin

I bought this expecting some kind of basic book on bipolar but it is so much more. The mood charts & advice on medicines and natural health are something I should have had years ago. Left me asking why I had to buy a book to find out these things, and thinking about buying another copy for my doctor.

From Kirkus Reviews
An exhaustive, scientific, yet compassionate assist for sufferers of ``the chameleon of psychiatric disorders'' and their families. Psychiatrist Mondimore (Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) looks first at the symptoms and diagnosis of bipolar disorder, or manic-depression: the disease wears many masks that can make diagnosis difficult. Mondimore concedes that at present psychiatrists are generally working with the same diagnostic tools that were used in the 19th century: their eyes and ears. He goes on to discuss treatment. Medications are first and foremostprimarily mood stabilizers, antidepressnts, and antipsychotics. He follows with a thoughtful considerations of electroconvulsive therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy. Mondimore is especially clear on medication side effects (and how to avoid them), how various treatments have been used and misused, and what a reasonable standard should be. In part three, Mondimore considers how bipolar disorder affects children, adolescents, and women; and how it is affected by alcoholism and drug abuse, seasonal affective disorder and chronobiology, genetics, and other medical conditions such as stroke and hormonal problems. In part four, Mondimore offers real, detailed help for living with the disease. The key is to recognize that bipolar disease is relentless and that the way to keep it at bay is for the patient to be relentless, too about getting needed treatment and sticking to it''. Illustrative case studies here make it clear this can be done, but it isn't easy. An absolute gold mine, then, for those with the disorder and their families: thorough, candid, and up-to-date advice, full of new possibilities for help.
-- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

This is an excellent book about a man who has suffered with bipolar disorder (manic-depression) and has begun to rebuild his life. The author does an excellent job of explaining his story and more importantly, provides tips and strategies to others who have been affected by this terrible condition.

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Bipolar Disorders: A Guide to Helping Children & Adolescents
By, Mitzi Waltz

If you're a parent or a loved one of a child (or adult)with Bipolar Disorder, read this. You will not go wrong. And after you're done, pass your copy onto your child's teacher or doctor. It will help you all get together on the same page. It's critical that our kids get the help they need. This book will teach you how best to advocate for your child.

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Bipolar Medications: Mechanisms of Action
Husseini K. Manji, et al (Editors)

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Bipolar Not ADHD: Unrecognized Epidemic of Manic Depressive Illness in Children
By, George Isaac

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Bipolar Puzzle Solution : A Mental Health Client's Perspective
By, Bryan L. Court, Gerald E. Nelson MD

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A Brilliant Madness : Living With Manic-Depressive Illness
By, Patty Duke

From Kirkus Reviews
Duke tells the story of her manic-depressive illness and its successful treatment, while in alternating chapters medical-writer Hochman (Heart Bypass, 1982) explains the facts of the disease and the methods of treatment currently available. Duke's strange and unhappy childhood was chronicled in Call Me Anna, and is touched on here only to show how fundamentally unloved and rejected she felt. Her manic-depressive disorder began to manifest itself when she was a young woman living in Hollywood, at the peak of her career, starring in The Patty Duke Show. As the illness escalated, her life degenerated into frequent suicide attempts, drug dependency, wrecked relationships, tantrums on the set. She began hallucinating and engaging in bizarre behavior like holding parties in her motel room for hordes of strangers (one of whom she married after a few hours' acquaintance) and hiring two guys she met in a parking lot to manage her finances (with results that can be imagined). Finally, her illness was diagnosed and successfully treated with lithium, which she takes to this day and to which, she says, she owes her present stable, happy marriage and her very life. Hochman provides information on the various forms of depression and the various guises that bipolar (manic-depressive) illness can take, identifies people at risk for these diseases, discusses the link between manic-depressive disorder and creativity, and surveys medical treatments and family-support techniques that can help the sufferer. The tone seesaws between the lurid and the dry, depending on whether Duke or Hochman is writing. But despite its gracelessness, this memoir has merit: Duke shows bravery in telling her story in all its humiliating flagrance, and undoubtedly sufferers from this puzzling and devastating disease will find help in the explanations and resources Hochman diligently provides. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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A Brotherhood of Tyrants : Manic Depression & Absolute Power
By, D. Jablow Hershman

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Call Me Anna : The Autobiography of Patty Duke
By, Patty Duke

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The Child with NLD: Dealing with Secondary Emotional Outcomes
(Audio Cassette)

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Clinical Guide to Depression in Children and Adolescents
Mohammad Shafii, Sharon Lee Shafii (Editors)

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Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
By, Monica Ramirez Basco, A. John Rush

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Cognitive Neuroscience of Emotion
Richard D. Lane, Lynn Nadel, Geoffrey Ahern (Editors)

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Cognitive Therapy for Bipolar Disorder: A Therapist's Guide to Concepts, Methods and Practice
Dominic Lam, et al. (Editors)

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Coping With Bipolar Disorder and Manic-Depressive Illness
By, Joann Jovinelly

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Creative Brainstorms : The Relationship Between Madness and Genius
By, Russell R. Monroe

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The Depression Workbook : A Guide for Living With Depression and Manic Depression
By, Mary Ellen Copeland, et al

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Essential Psychopharmacology of Depression and Bipolar Disorder
By, Stephen M. Stahl

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Everything You Need to Know About Bipolar Disorder and Manic Depressive Illness
By, Michael A. Sommers

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Fevers of the Mind
By, Avery Z. Connor

"Fevers of the Mind" is a definite must-read and should be on the bookshelf of every physician in America, not just mental health professionals, but all doctors, seeing as how frequently general practioners prescribe depression and anxiety drugs these days. A word of warning though, I would recommend picking up this book when you have some time. While it's a very easy read, the "flow" of it makes it incredibly hard to lie down and come back to later. I sat down to read for 20 minutes and finally put it down 2 hours and 15 minutes later after I turned the last page. This book offers hope to not only those afflicted with mental illness but also to their loves ones - much needed hope and courage. I found myself thinking at various times while reading, "if Conner can overcome and deal with it, so can I."

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The Flight of the Mind: Virginia Woolf's Art and Manic-Depressive Illness
By, Thomas C. Caramagno

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How to Survive Your Bipolar Brain (And Stay Functional)
By, Bob Bradley

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Journey Not Chosen...Destination Not Known : Living With Bipolar Disorder
By, Mary Worthen

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The Life of a Bipolar Child: What Every Parent and Professional Needs to Know
By, Trudy Carlson

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Lithium and Manic Depression: A Guide
By, John Bohn M.D., James W. Jefferson M.D.

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Living On a Roller Coaster: The Life of a Manic Depressive or Bipolar Disorder
By, James O. Wessinger III

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Living Without Depression and Manic Depression : A Workbook for Maintaining Mood Stability
By, Mary Ellen Copeland

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Management of Bipolar Disorder
By, Stuart Montgomery M.D.

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Manic Depression and Creativity
By, D. Jablow Hershman, Julian Lieb

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Manic-Depression: Illness or Awakening
By, Robert E. Kelly

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Manic Depression: How to Live While Loving a Manic Depressive
By, Lynn Bradley

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Manic-Depressive Illness
By, Frederick K. Goodwin MD, et al

I would recommend this book to any person diagnosed with Bipolar and their families, to help understand their illness and to know they are not alone.

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Managing Manic Depressive Disorders
By, Ved P. Varma (Editor)

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The Marriage of Heaven and Hell : Manic Depression and the Life of Virginia Woolf
By, Peter Dally

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Mayo Clinic on Depression
Keith Kramlinger M.D. (Editor)

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Mental Health Disorders Sourcebook : Basic Information About Schizophrenia, Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive disorde
Karen Bellenir

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Neural Misfire: A True Story of Manic-Depression
By, Jeff D. Kazmierczak

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New Hope for People With Bipolar Disorder
By, Jan Fawcett M.D., et al.

This book had the best descriptions of mania and depression of any I've read. I have personal experience with these disorders through family members. I have collected a library on these subjects, wanting to understand as much as I can. I have often been disappointed with books on the bipolar disorder and clinical depression.

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Overcoming Depression
By, Demitri F. Papolos, Janice Papolos

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Overcoming Depression and Manic Depression (Bipolar Disorder) A Whole-Person Approach
By, Paul A. Wider

I found "Overcoming" to be well worth reading, although I come from the school of thought that much of mental illness is biological and cannot easily be undone without medication. Nonetheless, I think it's important to have a "whole person approach" to treating these problems, and no aspect of treatment should be dismissed or neglected. I'd recommend this book to anyone suffering from depression or bipolar disorder.

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Practice Guideline for Treatment of Patients With Bipolar Disorder
by, American Psychiatric Association

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Survival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar Disorder: Innovative parenting and counseling techniques for helping children with bipolar disorder and the conditions that may occur with it
By, George T. Lynn

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The Omega-3 Connection: The Groundbreaking Anti-depression Diet and Brain Program
By, Andrew L. Stoll MD

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Overcoming Depression And Manic Depression (Bipolar Depression) The Non - Drug Approach
By, Paul A Wider, et al

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Survival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar Disorder: Innovative parenting and counseling techniques for helping children with bipolar disorder and the conditions that may occur with it
By, George T. Lynn

Since my 6 daughter was recently diagnosed with early-onset bipolar, I've read everything I could get my hands on about the disorder. What makes this book so wonderful is that Lynn recognizes the strengths, not simply the weaknesses, inherent in this condition. He offers straight talk on the hard choices that may or may not lie ahead for parents of these kids, but he also offers a great deal of encouragement: BP is not a parenting error, but a brain disfunction; it's not simply a curse, but also a possible blessing.

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Surviving the Crisis of Depression & Bipolar (Manic-Depression) Illness: Layperson's Guide to Coping With Mental Illness Beyond the Time of Crisis &
By, Mark A. Halebsky

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Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families, and Providers
By, E. Fuller Torrey M.D., Michael B. Knable D.O.

If knowing one's enemy is key to surviving a prolonged encounter, then Surviving Manic Depression should prove essential reading to those who suffer from this brain disease's horrific highs and lows. Having immersed themselves in the topic, E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., and Michael B. Knable, D.O., offer a comprehensive resource for those afflicted with--or responsible for treating--manic depression. Unfortunately, a surprisingly small amount of data exists regarding its prevalence, and existing studies show conflicting results.

Torrey and Knable's emphasis on dissecting all that is known about the disease clearly indicates that "survival" entails neither escape nor eradication; rather, it requires a lifelong pledge to undertake an effective course of treatment. The first step: learning every suspected cause, symptom, risk factor, and treatment strategy. Sprinkled among statistic-laden paragraphs, touches of empathy arrive via articulate quotations from sufferers including Patty Duke and Kay Jamison. But the crux of Torrey and Knable's work is its compilation of all the informative bits and pieces readers need to build an effective action plan. Most helpful are the chapters that address special problems (including alcohol and drug abuse, violent behavior, medication noncompliance, and the seduction of mania); and their no-holds-barred reviews of books, selected Web sites, and videotapes.
--Liane Thomas

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Touched With Fire
By, Kay Redfield Jamison

The march of science in explaining human nature continues. In Touched With Fire, Jamison marshals a tremendous amount of evidence for the proposition that most artistic geniuses were (and are) manic depressives. This is a book of interest to scientists, psychologists, and artists struggling with the age-old question of whether psychological suffering is an essential component of artistic creativity. Anyone reading this book closely will be forced to conclude that it is. Very Highly Recommended.

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We Heard the Angels of Madness : A Family Guide to Coping With Manic Depression
By, Diane Berger, et al

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Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down?: Understanding Bipolar Disorder
By, Roger Granet MD, Elizabeth Ferber

As a person with Bipolar this book really explains everything very well that your doctor may not. This was very easy ready and very informative. Was up to date and the combination on psychology and biology was impressive. This book took it a step further than most and explained the causes and then the treatments and why these are needed.

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Win the Battle: The 3-Step Lifesaving Formula to Conquer Depression and Bipolar Disorder
By, Bob Olson, (Melissa Olson Contributor)

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Writing Out the Storm: Journal Musings of a Manic-Depressive Wanderer
By, Rebecca Mitchell Merriman

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You Mean I Don't Have to Feel This Way? : New Help for Depression, Anxiety, and Addiction
By, Colette Dowling, et al

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