Many of the techniques in this book take some time to get started. The beauty of adding laughter and joy to your relationship is that you can start immediately. You can get started today. In fact, you can get started right now and then help your partner do the same. Close this book and find something to make yourself laugh. Woo hoo! Remember something funny. Remember something wonderful about your partner. Think of all of the joy you have experienced in life and remind yourself that it can happen again. You now have the tools to make it happen. You have a new treatment plan that can work to help you recognize, modify, and hopefully prevent your partner's major bipolar disorder symptoms. Your relationship has the opportunity to be happy, healthy, stable, and filled with joy. This book can help you through the many ups and downs you and your partner will experience as you create a more stable relationship. Read it often to find what you need at certain moments. Remember to always treat bipolar disorder first. And, most importantly, remember that laughter and joy are your first option when things get really tough. They will give you the peace of mind you need to move on and face your problems with strength. You can both do it.----Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder

Maintaining a relationship is hard enough without the added challenges of your partner’s bipolar disorder symptoms. Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder offers information and step-by-step advice for helping your partner manage mood swings and impulsive actions, allowing you to finally focus on enjoying your relationship while also taking time for yourself. This book explains the symptoms of your partner’s disorder and offers strategies for preventing them and responding to these symptoms when they do occur. This updated edition includes a new section about the medications your partner may be taking so that you can understand the side effects and help monitor his or her bipolar treatment. As a supportive partner, you deserve support yourself. This book will help you create a more balanced, fulfilling relationship. Improve your relationship by learning how to: • Identify your partner’s symptom triggers so you can prevent episodes • Improve communication by stopping irrational “bipolar conversations” • Handle your partner’s emotional ups and downs • Foster closeness and connection with your partner

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The partners of people with bipolar disorder are very similar. You are the one who stays in the relationship instead of walking away. You are the main caretaker. When your partner is ill, you take care of the house, the finances, and the children while having to hold your fear inside. #2 The goal of this book is to help you find the right balance between understanding and helping your partner so that you are still able to pursue your own goals and dreams. You will learn how to change what isn’t working into something that does. #3 holistic treatment for bipolar disorder focuses on medications, but it is also known that many people with bipolar disorder can achieve stability once they have a treatment plan that helps them prevent the symptoms that characterize the disorder. #4 Loving someone with bipolar disorder is not a diagnosis, but it is important to understand that your partner has a mental illness that requires treatment. It is important that your partner is evaluated by a mental health professional who specializes in treating severe mental illnesses.

About the Book In Is the Swing High or Low? author Wilma Cotten reveals the struggles she had with her bipolar daughter Andrea, who succumbed to the evils of drugs as a method of self-care. While trying to be a supportive and loving mother, Wilma struggled for years to find some solution to her daughter's problems. Counseling, medication, rehab-nothing seemed to help. So she did what any mother would do-she loved her unconditionally anyway. It is important to remember that mental health issues should be taken seriously and treated as illnesses, much like diabetes or heart disease. Is the Swing High or Low? will help us open our eyes to symptoms early on so we can be proactive in obtaining the best possible treatment plan for our loved ones. About the Author Wilma Cotten lives a simple life now in Upstate NY. She resides in an old farmhouse that she shares with her 2 German Shephard rescues. Over the years she has taken classes on parenting and brain disorders. Her interests include sewing, quilting, reading and being outdoors. She has a precious daughter who is the mother of her only grandchild.