Bipolar Recommended Books -- Worth Reading

Here is a list of some of the books I have read that have been most helpful in understanding and dealing with Bipolar Disorder:

"Moodswing" by Dr. Ronald R. Fieve
* he also has his own website

"Bipolar Disorder" by Dr. Francis Mark Mondimore
A guide for patients and family
A Johns Hopkins Press Health book

"Bipolar Child" by Dr. Demetri Papolos

"Overcoming Depression" by Dr. Demetri Papolos & Janice Papolos

"An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison

"Touched With Fire" by Kay Redfiled Jamison
Manic Depressive Illness and the Artisitc Temperament

"Night Falls Fast" by Kay Redfield Jamison
Understanding Suicide

"Surviving Manic Depression" by E. Fuller Torrey, M.D
and Michael B. Knable, D.O

"Manic Depressive Illness" by Dr.'s Goodwin & Jamison
Note: this is more of a very technical book and very pricey, but was worth the money and reading.

"Hatherleigh Guide to Psycopharacology"
Note: I found this at Borders Books, but I am sure Amazon or any good book store may have it.

The last 2 books I'll mention are more about the lives, narratives, of the author's life experiences.

"The Noonday Demon" by Andrrew Solomon

"Electroboy" by Andy Behrman

There are so many more, too many to list but check in the Psychology sections at Borders, Waldens, Barnes & Nobles, and also try Amazon.com.
Hope you'll find these good for starters

"darkeyes"



In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

Hi
I have one book I have very helpfull
Escaping Emotional Entrapment
by: Daniel Rutley
Freedom from negative thinking and unhealthy emotions.
aileen

Thanks for adding, if you come across anymore that you have read and enjoyed please let us know, such things can help people a great deal and is much appreciated

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

I did a workbook called Dealing with Manic Depression but for the life of me I can't remember the author. It was very good and helped me figure out some of my triggers like when I get stressed at work I react manic. Which even though sounds like a good thing because I get things done it is ultimately not such a good thing as us BP'ers know. I recommend it to anyone.

Don't Blame me I just do what the Voices Tell me to do

I've read both An Unquiet Mind and Touched By Fire, which are wonderful books. A book that I found to be very, very helpful is a book called Bipolar Disorder Demystified by Lana Castle. The author has the disease and the book covers everything from mental disorder myths, to physiology, to symptoms and treatments. It's a wonderful resource without pandering to "victimhood" - I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about - the awful books that encourage an "oh, woe is me" approach to mental disease. This book recognizes that bipolar disorder, while not to be taken lightly, is a manageable disease on par with, say, diabetes.

Go! Go and read it! That's an order :-p
~Anna

some of it's magic
some of it's tragic
but i had a good life all the way......
~jimmy buffett

Yes, the Manic Depressive Illness by Goodwin and Jameson, I hav and refer to it al the time. An excellent resource!
-Ariel

Thanks for the tip, I think I'll take you up on it. Any worthwhile non-fiction stories dealing with bipolar disorder?

If anyone is interrested in reading a good story or two about the effects of being bipolar, maybe you all could read my book. You can find out more about it at the barnesand noble dot com sight or even amazon.com has it. It's called, "Driving in Squares; Dreaming in Circles" Thanks, BabyDoe

The world is a huge puzzle and we, humankind, are the pieces of this puzzle. I wish we all could work together to find our proper places then the world would be a big beautiful masterpiece.

Thanks for your list...if I were only to read one of them, which would best describe in a positive manner to me about Bipolar?
I picked up a book over the weekend that has been so enlightening by Jan Fawcett, MD, Bernard Golden, phd, and Nancy Rosenfeld (who has Bipolar) and have found it to be helpful. It's called "New Hope for people with Bipolar Disorder"
I have not been given an official diagnosis, but after reading much of this book, there is no doubt in my mind and will speak with a pdoc about it soon.
Thanks,
Jon

KICK THE CABLE HABIT!!! http://www.vmcsatellite.com/?aid=84152

I read Nights Falls Fast, and found it to be very triggering. I can't say it helped, only made me focus even more on siucide. If you do chose to read it, be careful. I wouldn't reccomend this book for the severely depressed or suicidal, it resulted in my own suicide attempt that was nearly completed.

Sorry you feel this way, but there are others that have also benefitted from reading this, learning from it and also recognizing the fact you should seek professional help when one is experienceing such depression. If a book is that triggering you claim it caused you to attempt suicide I think rather then reading the book as you claim you have been depressed and having suicidal idealities it is best then you call a hotline, and please consider going for professional psychiatric care. I never claimed the books I listed to be cures, and if someone picks it up and reads the Preface and reviews on the covers, one should have enough info at that point if they want to continue to read it. I am sorry it wasn't for you, but again I do not make any claims that the books are cures, and may not be so consoling to some as others.
We all have choices to what we read or watch, I just wanted to share them with others.
I find many posts at the various forums here very triggering, but it is of our choice to read them or pass them, it is also our choice to get professional help or not, naturally I would encourage you or anyone feeling so badly to seek professional help as soon as possible.
Please take care, and if you have any books that you would like to add here, please do, it always is nice when people can share what they have read. . . it can help.
Never give up faith, I wish you well

DE

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

I'm sorry

No apology, everyone gets different things from what they readd, and that is cool, I just was sorry it trigered you.
I hope you are doing okay, and will get help with this.
Please take care, okay?

DE

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

HI,
I'm new to this and I love this site.. I know I'm going to benefit alot from it.
The book that I read and it's great is called: " The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide" By David J. Miklowitz, Phd

Hope this helps...

I got that one too, in my personal "library", I need to get more books to read, except I haven't seen any new ones, but I must say PsychiatryMatters.Md (or whatever you need to type) helps keep me abreast with new findings, etc.
I want to thank yo and any others that can add to this reading list.
Welcome to this website and our forums

DE

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

Anything by Redfield-Jamison is worth reading. I'm not familiar with all of the rest, but it does look a good list.

jw

Say what you mean: Mean what you say.
Whatever you say: Say it with love.
The Moody Blues: Keys to the Kingdom

Thanks, yes they are good reading
I was once a Moody Blues fan, the writing, not just the music was great. I am from an older generation, ha!ha! Well 47 going on 48 in Jan.
Welcome to the forums

DE

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

I HAVE read "An Unquiet Mind" and it is excellent. I would definitely recommend that one.

Hi folks,

I have found anything on Buddhism to be more than a little helpful. Having read loads of self help stuff (usually when I'm in my own low phase) I wanted something that I could study 'on the level' so to speak, that would be relevant whatever condition I was in.

As I am vulnerable to 'scrupulosity' as discussed on another thread, and have had a close call with Catholicism, I have chosen the least doctrinaire branch of Buddhism that I could find.

The book I return to is 'Buddhism without Beliefs' by Stephen Batchelor. The paperback is easily available on Amazon and quite cheap.

A powerful message that comes over in this view of the world is that suffering (dhukka) applies to all living creatures, not just to those of us with diagnoses of specific illness. By tying in my study of this branch of zen with a meditation group that is non denominational, I have a path which is looking hopeful.

I feel that any sort of mental illness is isolating and painfully self focussing, and this practice helps to break that pattern.

Cheers, Myzen.

Does this directly relate to Bipolar disorder? I believe the religious type means of help are individual, not all cases can be helped by Buddhism, or any religions, many mental disorders are due to genetics, chemical imbalances of the brain, I haven't seen this changed by religious beliefs, if so the person probably didn't have any mental disorders per say.
I am happy that it works for you, and I suppose many others too, but let's not forget the reality of Bipolar disorder, medication is a need for many patients to achieve stabilization first.
Thanks for sharing your experience(s) with us.
This is a book list for suggested reading that addresses Bipolar disorder as well as this forum, if anyone would like to add to it let me know, I'd like to keep the topic on Bipolar and Bipolar related stuff, that is the topic of this forum, Bipolar disorder.

Thanks,
DE

An Unquiet Mind was a fabulous book. I tell people to read it all the time. <font color="brown"> </font>

Moodswing by Dr Fieve was one of the first books I read and I was SO impressed even though it was quite old. I didn't know he had a website - Thanks so much for sharing that.

I know it may be old, but this man has done so much for the Bipolar population, with his research and patients.
Much of it is still used today, I may be wrong but I think he has continued to contribute more findings to those in the Psychiatric field and research. But don't hold me to that, my memory is not always on target, ha!ha!
On Psychiatry Matters website, there are always updates on disorders,research and treatments.
A Dr. Calabrese and Dr Akiskal have been doing research on the efficacy of various meds., very interesting.
I hope to have time this summer to post any books, journals, etc. that I find, my present pdoc told me the many pdocs I've read about either in books or professional websites are legitimate pdocs/researchers genius in their field.
I'm not sure, but I think Dr. Fieve may still have his practice in NYC, but not sure. I did see that on the internet when I typed in his name, a couple of years ago.
Well, if you or anyone that visits here and can contribute more suggested readings, please do.

Thanks,
DE

Danielle Steel had a bipolar son & she wrote a book about him, His Bright Light, a book I am sure we can all relate to everything in his life, it spans his lifetime. I wrote Danielle and she wrote me back, we still correspond, she is great.

As a writer with a mental illness, I REALLY enjoyed "The Midnight Disease."

Minnie