Are There Good Books About Bipolar Disorder?

Can't tell ya the name of it but I know patty duke wrote a book on her experiences with this disorder. If you go to http://bipolar.About.Com/od/actorsandactre ssess/ you will find other actors and actresses who also suffer. You may be able to find more info on patty's book. I find this sight soothing when I am having a bad day because it is actually nice to know that even the famous ones suffer from it too. Hope that helps :d

I found a book called, "living without manic depression workbook" by mary ellen copeland. I thumbed through it and found that it might be useful to a person who may have just found out that they are bipolar or is trying to cope with the illness.

I found a really good book that helps with people suffering from bipolar and how to manage relationships its called loving someone with bipolar disorder and I got it at a bookstar. It just talks about how to help stop triggers and how your partner can help. It is a lot of help hope this helps

"touched by fire" by kay redfield jamison

Bipolar disorder (a guide for patients and families)
- by francis mark mondimore, m.D.

This book gives detailed experiences as well as warning signs, living with someone with the disease information, the boring medical reasons for the disease, treament options, and a whole lot more.

It doesn't sound so great by the description I gave it, but it is a lot more realistic and interesting than a lot of the book out there.

Anything by kay redfield jamison like unquiet mind or touched with fire
the bipolar disorder survival guide by david j miklowitz
bipolar disorder demystified by lana castle
brillent madness by patty duke

Agree redfield jamieson is excellent - she expresses it all so well.


My family found the books by the johnstons good too as it give the account of the carer in one book and the patient in the other so that really helped my mom - hearing that another mother felt like she did.


Also the the girl who had the disorder described it real well and that gave my people more of an idea of what I was going through. Again knowing that she felt like I do was a real help for me too. 'the naked bird watcher', johnston and 'to walk on eggshells', johnston - amazon or Thecairn.Com though you could perhaps order them in bookshops.


I really liked the fact there is such a positive message in these two books - they give a real message of hope.

"how you can survive when they're depressed" by anne sheffield.

Here's a snippet, from pages 165-166.

Much of the behavior that travels under the name of mania is devastating to those who live within its path. Spouses, children, and parents of unmedicated manic-depressive are constantly placed in jeapordy: income and savings are squandered, jobs and careers are lost, and families are thrown into disarray and confusion from which they may never recover.

Hmm, from page 129:

the three phrases that echo through everyone's story (non bps) were "nothing I do is right", "nothing I do is enough"; and "everything is always my fault."

page 152.

Any of the foregoing activities have the added benefit of shifting the focus from the person with the illness to yourself. Depressive and manic-depressives alike tend to be self-centered and selfish. The former are overly passive (usually), the latter overly active, but both are adept at sopping up the limelight. Unless you get a limelight of your own, you will about in the shadows, thinking you do not deserve one, letting their demands absorb all your energy and time. Depressives do need your love and support, even thought they have a peculiar way of seeking them. <snip> being forever at the beck and call of their needs will not lessen their distress, and it certainly will not promote your own self-esteem.

Page 161.

The ultimate responsibility for complying with treatment lies with the person who has the illness, and failure to accept that responsibility is an indication that there may not be a happy ending. Without medication the illness will persist, so refusal of medication is, in a very real sense, a refusal to maximize the chances of getting well. Noncompliance also indicates ignorance, shortsightedness, and selfishness on the part of the primary sufferer. There are, after all, two of you (or more--ds), and you inhabit the same world. If your self-absorbed depressive or manic refuses to recognize that their illness affects you too, they are making a statement: I am the only person who matters here.

Is it any wonder that we get depressed too? Relationships require positive feedback for both parties, if one gives & gives & gives and never gets any positive reinforcement the relationship isn't going to thrive and could very well dissolve.

Taking care of your mind and body is every bit as important as their problems. Maybe more so. There is nothing wrong with saying, "enough. I cannot take on any more right now, you have to develop a wider safety net than just me."