Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2536 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-24
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 322 pages

From Library Journal
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 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Demitri F. Papolos, MD, and Janice Papolos, authors of Overcoming Depression and The Bipolar Child
"This book should be required reading for people with the disorder, their family members, and the therapists who treat them."

Review
"Dr. Miklowitz's book is both impressive and very humane. His lucid, multidimensional exploration of the patient's experience and his practical and empowering self-management techniques go far toward promoting stability. This book should be required reading for people with the disorder, their family members, and the physicians and therapists who treat them."--Demitri F. Papolos, MD, and Janice Papolos, authors of Overcoming Depression and The Bipolar Child

"When Miklowitz started his work, it seemed paradoxical to many that psychosocial approaches, including illness education, could affect the course of an illness which is incontrovertibly genetic and biological in its origins. It was Miklowitz's pioneering research that proved this assumption wrong. Now he has provided patients and families with just the right psychoeducational tool--an authoritative and eminently readable book about bipolar illness and its treatment."--Frederick K. Goodwin, MD, coauthor of Manic-Depressive Illness, Research Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Center on Neuroscience, Medical Progress and Society, George Washington University Medical Center

"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


"A thorough and well-written guide that is extremely helpful for both patients and clinicians."--The Carlat Report on Psychiatric Treatment

"This book is crammed full of useful information for bipolar patients, their family members, therapists, friends, lovers, employers and anyone else interested in bipolar disorders....this book is so well written and so full of useful advice as to how to plan and organize a life, that it could be profitably studied by anyone, whether or not he or she has bipolar disorder or knows someone who does."--Metapsychology Online Book Reviews

"...the chapter on 'Dealing with suicidal thoughts and feelings' is the best treatment of this topic I have ever read. Its 'Reasons for living' inventory might be a lifesaver."--mentalhealth today

"...the author's expertise, compassion, and experience are evident throughout....well worth reading and remembering."--NAMI Advocate

"...the book provides solid background information for school psychologists who may need to provide support to parents or colleagues who have bipolar disorder, and should do much to generate a more sympathetic understanding....School psychologists who feel completely comfortable with their understanding of bipolar disorder may wish to have a copy of this book on their shelf to loan out to others."--Communiqué

"The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide is a thorough, research-based book for consumers who would like to learn about their illness and how to manage it."--Reintegration Today

"The book offers a wealth of material that can help demystify the disorder. Miklowitz methodically explains the disease, its symptoms and diagnosis, moves on to cogent explanations of its possible causes ('genetics, biology, ans stress'), then spends most of the book offering advice on how to manage it. He even offers worksheets and logs to help people come to a better understanding of and approach to bipolar illness....Informative, interesting, and compassionate, The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide' is a valuable new resource for people with the illness, and their family and friends."--The Daily Camera

"...recommended for patient education libraries and medium and large public libraries."--Library Journal

Customer Reviews

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!!

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.

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.