Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder

Julie A. Fast & John Preston, PsyD

Many people diagnosed with bipolar disorder are sent home with the name of a doctor and prescription drugs. But few are able to manage their often out-of-control emotions with medication alone. Written by Julie A. Fast, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age thirty-one, and bipolar disorder specialist John Preston, PsyD, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder offers a unique, personalized approach that teaches people with bipolar disorder and their loved ones to manage the illness and achieve daily stability. Fast and Preston's groundbreaking program combines medication and supplements, lifestyle changes, behavior modifications, and other indipensable management tools.

General Adoption, Children with Special Needs, Bipolar, Trauma & Brain Development

Book

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide

David J. Miklowitz, PhD

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.

Children with Special Needs, Bipolar

Book

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder

Julie A. Fast

Maintaining a relationship is hard enough without the added challenges of your partner’s bipolar disorder symptoms. Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder offers information and step-by-step advice for helping your partner manage mood swings and impulsive actions, allowing you to finally focus on enjoying your relationship while also taking time for yourself. This book explains the symptoms of your partner’s disorder and offers strategies for preventing them and responding to these symptoms when they do occur.

This updated edition includes a new section about the medications your partner may be taking so that you can understand the side effects and help monitor his or her bipolar treatment. As a supportive partner, you deserve support yourself. This book will help you create a more balanced, fulfilling relationship.

Improve your relationship by learning how to:

• Identify your partner’s symptom triggers so you can prevent episodes
• Improve communication by stopping irrational “bipolar conversations”
• Handle your partner’s emotional ups and downs
• Foster closeness and connection with your partner

Children with Special Needs, Bipolar

Book

The Bipolar Workbook: Tools for Controlling Your Mood Swings

Monica Ramirez Basco

Living with bipolar disorder is a lifelong challenge. Those who struggle with the illness have to learn effective ways to control their mood swings, avoid relapse, and get the most from medication-based treatments. This workbook delivers a hands-on resource that gives sufferers the edge they need. Based on proven cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques, the book offers a variety of tools that enable readers to recognize the early warning signs of an oncoming episode, develop plans for withstanding the seductive pull of manic episodes, and escape the paralysis of depression. Specific chapters address key challenges at various stages, from overcoming denial of the initial diagnosis to fine-tuning treatments and maintaining gains.

Children with Special Needs, Bipolar

Book