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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.895
EAN num: 9780071481533
ISBN number: 0071481532
Label: McGraw-Hill
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: December 20, 2007
Publishing house: McGraw-Hill
Sale Popularity Level: 86268
Studio: McGraw-Hill
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Take control of your symptoms--and take charge of your life
If you're dealing with bipolar disorder, you already know that it’s more than a cycle of “ups” and “downs.” You may also have difficulty with depression and irritability, as well as problems with weight gain, memory, and fatigue. Dealing with these day-to-day problems can sometimes seem like too much to bear. Drawing on the latest research in bipolar disorder, stress, and health, this step-by-step guide offers a complete selection of livable, workable solutions to manage bipolar disorder and helps you: - Identify your symptoms
- Explore your treatment options
- Stabilize your moods
- Sharpen your mind
- Achieve your goals
This isn't a one-size-fits-all guide. It's a uniquely personal approach to your bipolar disorder that covers the full spectrum of the disease and its symptoms. You'll be able to find successful ways to regulate your moods, relieve your stress, improve your thought processes, and break the bipolar cycle--for a happier, healthier life.
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Rated by buyers -
In my opinion the authors of this book do an excellent job presenting the latest thoughts behind the symptom complex of bipolar spectrum disorder. I can identify with the symptoms and the explanations helped me understand my illness better. Some of the concepts may be a little technical for someone who is experiencing symptoms like concentration problems or does not have a high school education. Although in general it is easy to read and the exercises are excellent. One draw back is after reading the book, it can be frustrating to interact with health care professionals who do not know this information and are still relying on old thoughts about the disorder. An informed patient can be misunderstood easily.
Rated by buyers -
This is a brilliant self-help guide. Elizabeth Brondolo has provided anyone grappling with bipolar spectrum disorders (especially hypomania & soft bipolar, as well as classic bipolar, et al) an invaluable work which in addition to very readable text, provides tools to monitor one's own behavior and make lasting changes in one's life. It includes easily implementable exercises for the layman (i.e. me) for dealing with "Bipolar Spectrum Disorders" (BSD). The exercises provided in the book are meant to be photocopied. They are non-onerous, logical and will make you stare your behavior in the face. This is not a guide for the clinician per se -- it is for those of us who suffer from the effects of this often debilitating condition.
This wonderful book will undoubtedly become a classic in an area of psychiatry that is poorly understood and often ignored by intelligent and otherwise effective therapists and psycho-phamacologists. It serves as a perfect companion to Jim Phelps' "Why Am I Still Depressed", which takes a more clinical approach, but is equally approachable. Phelps' book is especially useful from the psycho-pharmacological side in determining what your diagnosis might be and how to deal with it. Brondolo is a Ph.D. in Psychology (therapist) while Phelps is an M.D.
I was recently diagnosed with hypomania after being in therapy for 13 years and having being prescribed antidepressants for the majority of that period. Sadly, most professionals don't acknowledge more than a few meaningless gradations in the bipolar spectrum and the term "bipolar" is so scary and brings up such horrifying & stigmatizing images of manic depressive behavior (i.e. Jamison's portrayal of herself cited a few lines below), that most would rather avoid the topic entirely, dismissing therapists and M.D.s as "crazy". One thinks -- "This is not me!". Guess again -- it might be. (for a classic book that reads like a page-turner on full-on Manic Depression, see: An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison, Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University).
Most of the gradations along the "bipolar spectrum" are not even recognized in the DSM IV which is the most comprehensive guide for psychiatric professionals in making diagnoses. The whole concept of bipolar spectrum disorders is a relatively recent phenomena, having only been truly studied and understood over the last decade or so. DON'T BE SCARED AND DON'T CONTINUE TO WRECK YOUR LIFE - many hypomanics are incredibly successful professionals (see: The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (A Little) Craziness and (A Lot of) Sucess in America - John D. Gartner, which is a highly entertaining read, and uplifting, because it makes you realize that there is plenty of hope out there).
Brondolo's book is a wonder for those of us who have suffered most of our lives and always thought that those closest to us giving us loving feedback were the crazy ones. It provides some easily understandable guidelines, exercises and common sense pieces of advice (good luck finding a therapist who understands what is going on with you -- after years of poor judgment and simply lying to therapists and myself, I would strongly recommend some form of Cognitive Behavior Therapy or Dialectic Behavior Therapy). Brondolo & Phelps also provide one with a framework for how to approach what you've been suffering from and how to approach your therapists and M.D.s with these issues, as many of them (the majority in my experience -- even those who understand BSD well) will not ask you many key questions or monitor key behaviors that are essential for you to get better unless you bring these things up yourself (makes one feel really great that you're spending so much $$$ on these folks).
One of the scariest things that emerges in Brondolo & Phelps' work is that at least 50% of people who suffer from BSD have been mis-diagnosed for years (on avg 10 years) and have been on the usual array of antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil, et al). THESE ANTIDEPRESSANTS IN FACT HAVE THE TENDENCY TO BRING ON AND/OR EXACERBATE HYPOMANIC EPISODES!
BRONDOLO & PHELPS' BOOKS ARE "EASY READS", easy to browse through, and easy to pick up and start again at a new place. I am grateful for the existence of these two works (and you will be too -- and no -- no one has paid me for this review -- I'm the one who has paid dearly all these years -- and continue to pay). Best of luck.
Rated by buyers -
I found this to be one of the best written, clear, and practical books for the lay person on mental health that I have read in a long time. I learned a lot about bipolar disorder even though I am in the mental health field. People who suspect they may be bipolar spectrum even if not frankly bipolar should read this book and get their families to read it too.
Rated by buyers -
I don't know of any other book on the subject of Bipolar Disorder that is as state-of-the-art, comprehensive and accessable (i.e. readable) as "Break the Bipolar Cycle." What is most striking about this book is how useful and practical it is for everyone involved in the process of living with and/or treating Bipolar Disorder (and perhaps mental illness in general). As someone who is very familiar with Bipolar Disorder, I am impressed with Brondolo and Amador's ability to reach and inform not only the person suffering with the disorder, but his/her family and treatment team as well. Interspersed throughout the book are illuminating clinical examples which make for an interesting and relatable read. Most of all, the book offers a practical and hopeful picture of what it is like to live with this illness and how to take control and make the best life possible for yourself, your loved-ones and your clients. Thank you Drs. Brondolo and Amador for this very important work and for dedicating your lives to helping those in need. "Break the Bipolar Cycle" is a must read for anyone who has been affected by Bipolar Spectrum Disorders.
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