Bipolar Recommended Books -- Worth Reading

I have some of these books mentioned and agree that they are helpful. The ones that I don't have, I'm ordering from Amazon. I feel that the more information I can find, the more ammunition I have to fight the battle. Thank you to everyone who took the time to post.

Thanks you guys for the list of books on Bipolar disorder. I feel Ok today. I have been battling this illness since I was 12 years old. This year I had a severe depressive episode back in january when I was Hospitalized. Now I'm starting to feel stable again.

I have dealt with bipolar for over 20 yrs and when I finally read this book it really hit me that I was dealing with bipolar. I learned to accept it and learned what I was doing to our marriage. It has saved our marriage and now we are catching up to a lot of missed years. I highly recommend to others all the time. My husband also has finally understood about my illness. Others that know us are amazed of what a difference it has made in our lives.

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide by David J. Miklowitz, PhD

This is a wonderful book. I bought it two days ago and I'm already half way through. It's full of helpful information, including different medications and their side effects, how to track your mood, strategies for staying well and much more..like I said I'm only half way through and it's really helped me understand more about bipolar and given me a lot of hope. I highly recommend it!

Myzen,

I agree with you about Buddhist writings and practices. I find them to be incredibly helpful, especially anything by and spoken by Pema Chodron.

The Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Workbook is based somewhat on a mindfulness approach. The author is Sheri (I've forgotten her last name, but if you enter it in amazon.com, it'll quickly come up).

Annie Laurie

"not all cases can be helped by Buddhism, or any religions, many mental disorders are due to genetics ..." ... "[L]et's not forget the reality of Bipolar disorder..."

Darkeyes, I agree with you, but Buddhism also provides a set of practices separate and apart from being a religion, and many of those practices are being used successfully in treating people with bipolarity. (The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Workbook for Bipolar Disorder by Sheri --- sorry, I've forgotten her last name).

I've been treated for bipolar disorder for over 30 yrs. and have received many kinds of therapy (and am still on meds), but am looking forward to seeing a new therapist who practices this kind of DBT and I'm actually feeling a bit hopeful. Again, I do agree with most of what you say; however, please keep your mind open to various ways we can heal.

Kind wishes,

Annie Laurie

Look them up on amazon.com and you'll find the numbers there.

Julie Fast's books are excellent.

Since other authors have added their own books, I'm adding mine. Love Has Its Ups and Downs is available free (set your own price) at Smashwords.com and is a guide to marriage with a bipolar partner. There is a lot of our life story in the book, but it's mostly information about what to expect, what seems to work for us and for others in support groups I belong to, and some ideas of how to think about and deal with episodes.

I'm glad someone brought up the topic of some of the books being "triggering" and wanted to mention that the Danielle Steele book should be handled with care, particularly if your loved one is dealing with depression or suicidal thoughts, or if someone you love has recently died from suicide. Get some distance or talk to someone about it. Even people without a diagnosis can be hurt by books that touch raw wounds. True stories can be too true sometimes.

I suspect that many cases can be helped by religion, as many cases can be helped by other lifestyle changes. None of those are cures and none of them work for everyone, but that's alright because as far as I know, there are no known cures and the most reliable treatment is some sort of mood stabilizing medication--and none of them work for everyone either. If something works for the person who is writing the post, it could very well work for someone else which is why we have forums to share that sort of thing.

"Bipolar for Dummies" yes those yellow books, esp good for the people around us

"bipolar 101" kind of a condensed treatment plan. wicked good

I read An Unquiet Mind before I was bipolar, just because it looked interesting. Then, finding myself bipolar (once I stopped denying it; somehow mania seems to increase denial), I at least had some knowledge of what it can entail. At the very least, it made me feel like less of a freak. It's an easy read, so check it out!

Am I Bipolar or Waking Up by Sean Blackwell
http://astore.amazon.com/proselhel-20/detail/1461178258

I'm currently reading Madness by Mayra Hornbacher. I agree with everyone that it is hard to put down; Hornbacher is a gifted writer and translated her life experience into a great story. It almost reads like fiction.

Her bipolar experience may be hard to relate to (has been for me, so far) if your bipolar didn't onset by the age of 4, you didn't get involved in drugs or alcohol, you don't cut, your illness is dominated by depression rather than mania, you're shy, and you've never suffered from an eating disorder.

Mayra is an inspiration; she has been very, very sick (with both bipolar and a serious eating disorder), but she still managed to successfully write such an incredible book. I look forward to reading the rest of it.

I absolutely LOVED this book... It is a GREAT book!!!!!!

Yeah, I think most of the autobiographical accounts of bipolar are hard to relate to for bipolar II - we're just not as sensationalist without the full-blown mania, and I guess that's not sexy enough to sell books.

I found Madness to be extremely triggering in the first few pages. I could actually feel my adrenaline rising and my hands started shaking.

When Secretum posted about this book, I wasn't sure if I'd read that one or another and was going to look it up (because I'd only recognize it by seeing the cover). When I read THIS, I went straight to Amazon, because if it was the same book, I needed to chime in. It WASN'T! Thanks for the heads up. I had the same experience with Manic A Memoir by Terri Cheney. Stuff in the first few pages was horrific, and though I've (TG!) never dealt with anything of the sort, it really shook me up. If anyone has dealt with sexual assault, I would urge EXTREME caution.

It (Cheney book) was one I borrowed from my PMHNP --I occasionally do what I call "book reports", lol. There were two major things I noted that I couldn't relate to --besides full-blown mania -- ED and BPD. Mind you, she doesn't say BPD, but there's a helluva lot of evidence for it in her story, and my psych completely agreed. (Can't remember if she actually said ED or not.) Why mention this? Because it is the one thing that I've sometimes found problematic in autobiographies. If they've got other things going on, and don't say so, it leads to the impression that non-BP stuff is part of BP. This might not be so problematic for those of us who've been at it awhile and can recognize that, but it bothers/concerns me for those reading who are not so familiar. BP can be confusing enough as it is(!)

Because so many BP reads are pretty heavy, I'd like to recommend a book that I found a fun read. The Up and Down Life. The Truth of Bipolar Disorder -- the Good the Bad and the Funny by Paul E. Jones. It's been a few years since I read it, so I might be forgetting some stuff, but a couple of the funny things stick with me to this day.

Mommyof2girls, I agree on BP for Dummies. It's one of only 2 BP books I actually own.

(Guess that coffee's kicked in(!) )

I'm currently reading Mood Mapping by Dr Liz Miller. Very interesting read so far. It shows you how to "map" your mood (energy level and well-being), it contains exercises and tips for improving your mood... I really recommend it!

Sure do what do you reccomend ? Here are mine.

Manic Depression and Creativity by D. Jablow Hershman & Julian Lieb, M.D
Strong imagination; madness, creativity, and human nature by Daniel Nettle
I'M NOT CRAZY, Just Bipolar by Wendy K Williamson
Emoitional Intelligence by Daniel Coleman