The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know | David J. Miklowitz | Very Helpful for Friends and Family as well as victims of Manic Depression

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The Bipolar Disord...

	The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know David J. Miklowitz The Guilford Press, 2002 - 322 pages average customer review:based on 60 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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.

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Excellent Resource for Survivors and Supporters

This book is an excellent resource for both survivors of bipolar disorders (I am one) and their supporters. It is packed with easy to understand and applicable information. I especially liked the idea of self-management of one's own bipolar disorder presented in the book. Much too often, books on the disorder promote too much dependence on others to help us manage our disorder. Miklowitz gives a realistic picture of bipolar disorder and uses case studies to illustrate his points. I especially liked that he took on one of the most frequently asked questions of all: "Is it an illness or is it me?" (p.54). Great resource for every bipolar survivor and their supporters.

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Very Helpful for Friends and Family as well as victims of Manic Depression

This book proved to be easy to read and informative. I would recommend it for anyone who is, or thinks they might be, bipolar. Also, it is good to read if you for sure think you are NOT bipolar, but others think you are. It will help you gain some perspective. This is also a helpful book for family and close friends of those who suffer from manic depression.

Survival Guide - Yes!!

After having been misdiagnosed most of my entire adult life, and after having checked myself into a psychiatric ward due to suicidal thoughts, I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Following my hospitalization, I craved to know more about the disorder and how myself and my family could deal with the ups and downs of it. This book was just what I was looking for!! I have a medical/clinical background, and I was surprised to find that the author really only had one chapter on medications that the average reader might find a little dry. The entire book is highly informative, which makes it so easy for me to recommend to my family to read as a way of not only understanding bipolar disorder, but how they can help me when I'm not able to help myself. The practical tools for mood charting and how to rate my moods have been an invaluable asset to both me and my psychologist. If you or a family member have bipolar disorder, this is the one book to have. I can't thank Dr. Miklowitz enough for such a great book!!

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This was an awesome book excellent reading and easy to understand.I never understood bipoler disorder as well until i read this book. I really reccomend thi to anyone who is trying to understand themselves or a family member.

Comprehensive, clear and specific

I started reading this book when I was in the psych ward of a hospital after a "bipolar meltdown". I'd been having trouble coming to grips with this diagnosis, and I needed information. This book is laid out wonderfully, and describes all the criteria psychiatrists use to make a diagnosis. It all is interspersed with first hand accounts of people describing their lives with bipolar disorder. A large portion of the book is given to ways to manage your life. Charts to monitor moods and lots of assessment tools. Very helpful.

It caused me some difficulty because I didn't quite fit into any category or description. I guess I have a mixed state, never staying the same for a whole day. Many of my more frustrating symptoms, such as pacing, were not listed anywhere. My doctor tells me I am just a bit unusual, and maybe that is the problem.Nothing is going to quite give me the info I need.

This book is wonderful for those needing to know the parameters and describtions of this disorder. I recommend it.

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