After being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I went into a deep depression for several months. Accepting my diagnosis was hard as I had struggled with bouts of hypomania and depression repeatedly for years but had never really been diagnosed. It took a massive psychosis to finally lead me to a reliable psychiatrist who told me I had bipolar disorder type I. Eventually, I started to emerge from my catatonic state. I slowly realized that the meds were working for me but that I had to make a conscious effort to understand my diagnosis and do everything I could to manage my moods with the help of my psychiatrist and psychologist. That’s when I started reading books to educate myself. The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, Third Edition: What You and Your Family Need to Know Third Edition by David J. Miklowitz This is the first book I decided to read. I admitted to myself that bipolar disorder was a lifelong challenge and realized that I could control it. In this indispensable guide, I found all the science-based information that I needed to manage my illness. I discovered specific steps to cope with mood episodes, reduce recurrences, get the most out of treatment and make lifestyle changes to stay well. It also had vital information on medications and therapy. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison This is a bestselling classic in which Kay Jamison changes our thoughts about moods and madness. Dr. Jamison is one of the most known authorities on bipolar illness and has experienced it firsthand. While pursuing her career, Jamison succumbed to the same exhilarating highs and catastrophic depressions that afflicted many of her patients. In this candid memoir, she examines bipolar illness from both the perspectives of the healer and the healed. Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher Marya Hornbacher was diagnosed with type I rapid-cycle bipolar, the most severe form of bipolar disorder. Hornbacher tells her story in scenes of astonishing visceral and emotional power in this memoir. She takes us inside her desperate attempts to counteract violent mood swings with self-starvation, substance abuse, numbing sex, and self-mutilation. She fights her way from a madness that all but destroys her. Welcome to the Jungle, Revised Edition: Facing Bipolar Without Freaking Out by Hillary T. Smith Going bravely where no other bipolar book has gone before, Welcome to the Jungle offers devastatingly on-target, honest--and riotously funny--insights into living with bipolar and answers some of the most challenging questions facing people newly diagnosed. This edition includes a revised and expanded discussion on diagnosis, an updated chapter on medication, a new chapter on alternative approaches, a revised and expanded chapter on symptoms, and updated resources. Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing My Mind by Jaime Lowe This is a riveting memoir and a fascinating investigation of the history, uses, and controversies behind lithium, an essential medication for millions of people struggling with bipolar disorder. It begins with the sixteen-year-old Jaime stopping sleeping and eating and beginning to hallucinate. She was eventually hospitalized and diagnosed as bipolar and prescribed lithium. In Mental, Lowe shares and investigates her story of episodic madness and the stability she found while on lithium. She interviews scientists, psychiatrists, and patients to examine how effective lithium is and how its side effects can be dangerous for long-term users—including Lowe, who suffers from severe kidney damage after twenty years on the medication. Mental health is eye-opening and powerful, tackling an illness and drug that has touched millions of lives yet remains shrouded in social stigma. My Bucket Has Holes by Duckie May A personal account of living with Bipolar II for 20 years, misdiagnosed as depression. Everything is included, from childhood to diagnosis to mental hospitals, including the ugly parts of being raised in a period that did not understand mental illness and instead applied "tough love" to children who acted abnormally. Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness Mass Market by Patty Duke In A Brilliant Madness, Patty Duke joins medical reporter Gloria Hochman to shed light on this powerful, paradoxical, and destructive illness. From what it's like to live with the manic-depressive disorder to the latest findings on its most effective treatments, this compassionate and eloquent book provides profound insight into the challenge of mental illness. And Patty's story, which ends in newfound happiness with her cherished family, offers hope for all those suffering from mood disorders and the family, friends, and physicians who love and care for them. Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from My Bipolar Life by Ellen Forney This was the funnest read on this list. I didn’t learn anything new, having read the Bipolar Survival Guide, but rereading it in a graphic novel format was interesting. Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life is a definitive self-help survival guide of tips, tricks, and tools by someone who has been through it all and come through stronger for it. Treating Bipolar Disorder: A Clinician's Guide to Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (Guides to Individualized Evidence-Based Treatment) 1st Edition by Ellen Frank
I read this because I’m a total nerd, and I can’t help but take an interest in psychology and how it can help me manage my moods. This innovative manual presents a powerful approach for helping people manage bipolar illness and protect against the recurrence of manic or depressive episodes. Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy focuses on stabilizing moods by improving medication adherence, building coping skills and relationship satisfaction, and shoring up the regularity of daily rhythms or routines. I’ve also read about half a dozen french books that were quite useful and informative. I might later update this post to include them. And, of course, I have another half a dozen books in my kindle queue just waiting to be read. I can’t get enough. What have you read that has helped you manage your moods?
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AuthorI was born in 1986 in Lebanon. I'm still trying to find my passion in life and in the meantime I'm learning to navigate my bipolarity and redefining stability. Archives
February 2024
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