The Everything Health Guide to Adult Bipolar Disorder

by Haycock, Dean A., Ph.D.; Whitten-Vile, Sheldon, M.D.

• ISBN13: 9781440504051
• ISBN10: 1440504059
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-09-18
• Publisher: Adams Media Corp

Summary

More and more people are being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which affects 2.6 percent of all American adults. This diagnosis can be scary for patients and their loved ones, but new medications, therapies, and lifestyle changes have transformed treatment and benefited patients. With this health guide, you'll find authoritative, reassuring advice on topics like:The causes of bipolar disorder Common side effects to medications Alternative and nontraditional approaches Mania and manic episodes Links between bipolar and other disordersThis completely revised and updated edition includes the latest treatment options as well as recent studies and classifications. Bipolar disorder is a complex diagnosis. With this positive, supportive guide, you'll find the answers to all your questions--even the ones you haven't thought to ask.

Author Biography

Dean Haycock, PhD earned a fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health to study at The Rockefeller University. The results of his research, conducted in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry, have been published in the Journals of Neurochemistry, Biological Chemistry, and Brain Research. He has contributed articles on a variety of topics to The Gate Encyclopedia of Mental Health, and resides in Salem, NY. Sheldon Whitten-Vile, MD earned his MD from the University of Kansas. He completed his internship and residency at the University of California in San Francisco, where he stayed on as clinical faculty until 1994. He has served as Medical Director of the Bert Nash Mental Health Center in Lawrence, Kansas, and Medical Director of Marin County Mental Health Services in California. He is coauthor of the Mood Disorders chapter of the Lange series Introduction to Clinical Psychiatry, and has worked with bipolar patients for more than twenty-three years. He lives in Oakland, CA.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
The Basics of Bipolar Disorder	p. 1
What Is Bipolar Disorder?	p. 1
Manic Episodes	p. 2
Depressive Episodes	p. 5
The History of the Disorder	p. 7
Major Types of Bipolar Disorder	p. 8
Cyclothymia	p. 14
Other Variations	p. 15
How Do You Know If You're Bipolar?	p. 18
Mistaking Bipolar Disorder for "Normal"	p. 18
General Warning Signs	p. 21
What Puts You at Risk of Bipolar?	p. 23
Risk Factors You Can't Control	p. 23
Risk Factors You May Be Able to Influence	p. 24
Behavioral Extremes and Private Thoughts	p. 25
See a Doctor	p. 27
Get a Second Opinion	p. 29
Evolving Knowledge of Bipolar Disorder	p. 31
Comparing Bipolar Disorder to Other Disorders	p. 34
Varieties of Personality and Mood Disorders	p. 34
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)	p. 35
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)	p. 37
Post-Traumatic Stress and Other Anxiety Disorders	p. 38
Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)	p. 39
Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder	p. 41
Major Depressive Disorder and Substance Use Disorders	p. 42
Who Gets Bipolar Disorder?	p. 45
Important Factors	p. 45
Are Some People More Likely to Have Bipolar Disorder?	p. 47
Famous People with Bipolar Disorder	p. 48
Bipolar Creativity	p. 50
Women and Bipolar Disorder	p. 53
Bipolar Disorder in Perspective	p. 55
What Causes Bipolar Disorder?	p. 57
Biological Differences	p. 57
The Challenge of Understanding Mental Disorders	p. 59
Genetics and Bipolar Disorder	p. 60
The Interaction of Genes and Environment	p. 62
Life Experience Matters	p. 64
Pharmacological Treatment for Bipolar Disorder	p. 66
Stages of Treatment	p. 66
History of Treatment	p. 67
Mood Stabilizers	p. 70
Antidepressants	p. 72
Antipsychotics	p. 75
Antianxiety Drugs	p. 77
Finding the Right Medication(s)	p. 78
What to Know about Side Effects	p. 79
Working with Your Doctor	p. 84
Psychotherapy and Other Methods for Dealing with Bipolar Disorder	p. 86
When Medication Is Not Enough	p. 86
Acceptance	p. 87
Finding the Right Therapy	p. 88
Diet and Exercise	p. 94
Support Groups	p. 96
Alternative and Nontraditional Approaches	p. 97
Getting Help with Other Problems	p. 101
What Happens Without Treatment?	p. 103
Suicide and Bipolar Disorder	p. 103
Other Risk Factors	p. 105
How Loved Ones Are Affected	p. 106
When Patients Accept Diagnosis but Treatment Fails	p. 109
When Patients Accept Diagnosis but Resist Treatment	p. 111
When Patients Resist Diagnosis and Treatment	p. 115
Telling Others You Have Bipolar Disorder	p. 116
Why Do You Want to Tell?	p. 116
Achieving Honesty	p. 119
Telling People in Your Personal Life	p. 121
Telling People in Your Professional Life	p. 123
Fielding Questions	p. 127
You Don't Have to Tell Everyone	p. 129
Lifestyle Choices	p. 131
Finding the Right Job	p. 131
What If You Feel You Cannot Work?	p. 134
People to Avoid	p. 136
People to Seek Out	p. 138
Clearing Out Chaos	p. 140
Replace Fanaticism with Tranquility	p. 143
Developing a Good Self-Image	p. 145
Dealing with the Past	p. 145
Dealing with Family Shame	p. 147
Getting Your Priorities in Order	p. 149
(Self-)Honesty Is the Best Policy	p. 150
Learning to Problem Solve	p. 153
Managing Mania	p. 156
Be Prepared	p. 156
Warning Signals	p. 160
Protect Your Personal Life	p. 162
Protect Your Assets	p. 164
Protect Your Professional Life	p. 167
Dealing with Depression	p. 169
Sadness, Mild Depression, and Chronic Depression	p. 169
Preventing Depression	p. 172
A Low-Stress Home	p. 174
What to Do If You're Depressed	p. 175
If Depression Escalates	p. 177
Dealing with the Aftermath	p. 179
Staying in Control	p. 181
Learning from Bipolar	p. 181
Turn Your Focus to Others	p. 184
Learning from Setbacks	p. 185
Accepting Limitations	p. 188
Setting Goals for the Future	p. 190
If You Know Someone Who You Think Is Bipolar	p. 194
Look at Yourself First	p. 194
When to Intervene	p. 197
Expressing Your Concerns	p. 198
Formal Interventions	p. 201
Dealing with the Aftermath	p. 203
Protect Yourself	p. 204
If You Know Someone Who Has Bipolar Disorder	p. 206
Life with a Spouse with Bipolar Disorder	p. 206
Life with a Parent with Bipolar Disorder	p. 209
Life with a Sibling with Bipolar Disorder	p. 212
Life with Relatives Who Have Bipolar Disorder	p. 215
Life with a Friend with Bipolar Disorder	p. 216
Life with a Boss or Coworker with Bipolar Disorder	p. 218
Riding the Roller Coaster of Another Person's Moods	p. 222
When a Loved One Is Manic	p. 222
Handling a Psychiatric Emergency	p. 224
When a Loved One Is Depressed	p. 226
Taking Action versus Distancing Yourself	p. 228
Dealing with Caregiver Stress	p. 231
Your Protection	p. 233
Your Options	p. 234
Ongoing Controversies	p. 237
How Can You Classify Mood Disorders?	p. 237
Bipolar Moods and Normal Moods	p. 238
Anti-Medication/Anti-Psychiatry	p. 241
Good Pharmaceutical Industry or Bad Drug Companies?	p. 244
Privacy Issues	p. 246
Forced Treatment	p. 247
The Insanity Defense	p. 249
Where Do You Go from Here?	p. 251
Summary	p. 251
Steer Clear of Excuses	p. 253
Bipolar Disorder and the Future	p. 255
Finding Role Models	p. 258
You Are Never Alone	p. 260
Symptoms Checklists	p. 262
Additional Resources	p. 265
Index	p. 268
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