Dr. Emery has written this book to enhance your knowledge of bipolar disorder and point out how it affected his life. He will tell you of some of the unique and coincidental experiences he has had. These experiences will include his experience with the Watts Riot of 1965, the Vietnam War, and the Tet Offensive of 1968. When appropriate, he will give you his medical assessment of these experiences. We hope you will enjoy the book.

Dr. Emery has written this book to enhance your knowledge of bipolar disorder and point out how it affected his life. He will tell you of some of the unique and coincidental experiences he has had. These experiences will include his experience with the Watts Riot of 1965, the Vietnam War, and the Tet Offensive of 1968. When appropriate, he will give you his medical assessment of these experiences. We hope you will enjoy the book.

A doctor may understand the symptoms of bipolar disorder and your close friends and relatives may know your manic and depressive phases inside and out, but only you have experienced your bipolar disorder firsthand. This workbook will help you learn how to recognize your mania and depression triggers, develop coping skills for managing symptoms, form more productive partnerships with your healthcare providers, and keep your life in balance as you work toward your goals. The authors' Life Goals Program has already helped hundreds of people with bipolar disorder understand how bipolar works and take charge of their lives. Overcoming Bipolar Disorder makes Life Goals Program techniques available to the public for the first time, giving you the tools you need to create an action plan for symptom management designed specifically for you. You'll also discover how simple changes to your eating, exercise, and sleeping habits can improve your mood and keep symptoms at bay. Overcoming Bipolar Disorder is about more than just medication. New research shows that learning specific skills to manage bipolar disorder can significantly reduce symptoms and help to maintain long-term balance…. It should be an important resource for people living with bipolar disorder and for concerned family members.-Gregory Simon, MD, MPH, psychiatrist and researcher at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, WA

Revised and updated, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder is a groundbreaking, comprehensive program to help those with bipolar disorder—and those who care about them—gain permanent control over their lives. Most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder are sent home with the name of a doctor and multiple prescriptions. However, few people with bipolar disorder are able to find long-term stability with medications alone. Bipolar disorder researcher and expert Julie A. Fast, who was diagnosed with the illness at age thirty-one, and specialist John Preston, PsyD, offer the pioneering Take Charge program used around the world to help readers promote stability, reduce mood swings, increase work ability, decrease health care costs, and improve relationships. The book guides those with bipolar disorder and their loved ones toward a comprehensive personal treatment plan by incorporating: Medications and bipolar-safe supplements Lifestyle changes that help manage bipolar symptoms naturally Behavior modifications that reduce and prevent symptoms Guidelines on assembling an effective support team By helping readers gather powerful strategies, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder delivers a dynamic program to treat this difficult but ultimately manageable illness.

Mondimore has added sidebars on fascinating details about the history of this disorder and its treatment.

The first book to tackle one of the leading concerns of women with manic depression and related disorders You have bipolar disorder and want to start a family. There is so much to know and manage when thinking about becoming pregnant and having an optimal pregnancy and postpartum period. What are the risks? Can I go off my meds? How will my partner react? Will my child also become bipolar? How do I navigate through the often confusing and ever-changing research on mental disorders and pregnancy? Kristin K. Finn was diagnosed with manic depression as a teenager. Upon deciding to become pregnant, she and her husband also had questions, concerns, and fears. Recognizing that there was no go-to guide that helps women with manic depression navigate pre-natal, pregnancy, and postpartum issues, Finn collaborated with geneticists, obstetricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists to bring you this ultimate support-group-in-a-book and pregnancy resource. In Bipolar and Pregnant, Finn shares her insights and techniques that she developed through two pregnancies, as well as the advice of her esteemed team of experts. In addition, Bipolar and Pregnant: Provides information on medical aspects of pregnancy and gives advice on minimizing the risks of psychiatric flare-ups, avoiding episodes, monitoring behavior, and preparing to go off mediation as pregnancy looms. Discusses medical aspects of pregnancy, preparing for pregnancy, and optimizing the chances of getting pregnant Provides the latest research on medications used to treat bipolar disorder and their effect on developing babies. You and your entire support team will be armed with the knowledge necessary to help you optimize your pregnancy, subside anxiety, and feel confident that you are doing the very best for you and your new family.

A practical and authoritative guide to bipolar disorder: its causes, current treatments and strategies for managing the illness and living well.

"The author, a psychiatrist, distills everything readers need to know about bipolar disorder. In down-to-earth language, he explains what bipolar disorder is and how readers can live their best life with the help of medications, therapy, the support of family and friends, and medical care. This is a resource for the newly diagnosed or those seeking rapid answers to the most common questions about bipolar disorder"--

With candor and humor, a manic-depressive Iranian-American Muslim woman chronicles her experiences with both clinical and cultural bipolarity. Born to Persian parents at the height of the Islamic Revolution and raised amid a vibrant, loving, and gossipy Iranian diaspora in the American heartland, Melody Moezzi was bound for a bipolar life. At 18, she began battling a severe physical illness, and her community stepped up, filling her hospital rooms with roses, lilies and hyacinths. But when she attempted suicide and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, there were no flowers. Despite several stays in psychiatric hospitals, bombarded with tranquilizers, mood-stabilizers, and anti-psychotics, she was encouraged to keep her illness a secret—by both her family and an increasingly callous and indifferent medical establishment. Refusing to be ashamed or silenced, Moezzi became an outspoken advocate, determined to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness and reclaim her life along the way. Both an irreverent memoir and a rousing call to action, Haldol and Hyacinths is the moving story of a woman who refused to become a victim. Moezzi reports from the frontlines of an invisible world, as seen through a unique and fascinating cultural lens. A powerful, funny, and moving narrative, Haldol and Hyacinths is a tribute to the healing power of hope and humor.

For persons with bipolar disorder and their families, here is a comprehensive, practical, compassionate guide to the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. 22 illustrations.