Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29578 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Nancy Rosenfeld, author of New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder
"Bipolar disorder presents constant challenges. Lana Castle confronts these challenges...and offers personal wisdom in relaying her own story."

E Fuller Torrey, M.D., co-author of Surviving Manic Depression
"Bipolar Disorder Demystified is a very useful book written by a woman who has been there. "

About the Author
LANA R. CASTLE is a writer, editor, and speaker who has lived with depression and bipolar disorder for over forty years. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she runs Castle Communications, an editorial service business.

Customer Reviews

Trite, But Not Without Merit.
Bipolar Disorder Demystified is the third book I've read on the subject of Bipolar Disorder. It's an easily read book covering everything from depression to hypomania, medication to the importance of vitamin consumption. The information in this book is expansive almost to the point of unnecessary. The chapter on Biochemistry and Genetics was informative. The chapter on Personality and the "Quadrants" of Perfectionism was senseless.

Lana Castle's attempt at intertwining her personal experience with scientific knowledge was charming in the beginning of the book, but trite towards the end when she tells of joining a Quaker church only to leave due to a persistent suitor, or the excerpts of her journal which read like the rantings of a lunatic.

From what I've read, I'm guessing that Castle is a little flaky. I'm glad that she's been able to find the stability she needs in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, but it's mentioned more often that the importance of psychotherapy and medication compliance. The chapter on Exploring Nonmedical Options began with substance, but ended disappointingly with the mention of using massage and aromatherapy as viable options for this disorder. She suggest communing with nature to relieve stress, but then recommends tasting "the sweat that pours from your face after an aerobic workout", for reasons unknown.

The chapter on Creativity is extremely self-absorbed. Once again, it begins with good intentions, but disappointingly segues into a timeline of Castle's attempts at creativity and pretty much reads like a resume of her creative endeavors or like a child screaming "Daddy, look at me! Look at me!"

Overall, Bipolar Disorder Demystified isn't a terrible book. It's full of a variety of important information on dealing with this disorder and the destruction it can cause. The unevenness in joining her personal encounters and scientific or substantial information (for lack of a better word) is not entirely the fault of Lana Castle. The blame should be placed on the editor for not reining in her clearly self-absorb writing style. (She figuratively thumbs her nose at a former psychiatrist for shooting down her ambitions for being a writer! See pages 301-302).

If you roll your eyes when you see a hippie, or laugh at the though of using penny-royale to cure a flu, then this book is not for you. If you are a hippie and have yerba mate in your refrigerator you'll find this book right up your alley. I consider myself ¼ hippie and found this book useful at times, disappointing but not entirely without merit. If you can stomach the ego of Castle, then read this book. When she's not too busy staring at her reflection in the mirror Castle can be a solid writer.

An overly self-referential book without much research into the malady.
It's stunning to see that this book has earned a 4.5-star rating from readers, given the fact that only the first paragraph under each header has anything to do with BPD generally: the rest is all about how the author had sex with her car's stick shift (!), smoked pot or whatever else is related, if only tangentially, to the subject at hand. This makes for a very tedious read, as it appears she has done little, if any, research beyond a mostly regurgitated recollection of what she learned in her therapy sessions.

This is one embarrassingly creepy book. No, I didn't get past the third chapter--who wants to?

There are better books out there.

very helpful
i found the book to be very helpful and understanding; it was easy to read, which is very helpful for someone with bipolar disorder.