Living With Someone Who's Living With Bipolar Disorder

An essential resource for anyone who has a close relationship with a person who is bipolar

This book provides a much-needed resource for family and friends of the more than 5 million American adults suffering from bipolar disorder. From psychotic behavior that requires medication to milder mood swings with disturbing ups and down, this book offers a warm and often humorous user-friend guide for coping with bipolar loved ones, colleagues, and friends. The book includes

• Guidance for identifying bipolar disorder symptoms and how to get the diagnosis confirmed
• Strategies for dealing with rants, attacks, blame, depression, mania and other behaviors
• Crucial information on medication and its effectiveness and potential side-effects
• Techniques for dealing with attempts to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol
• How many people with bipolar disorders can care for themselves, get help, feel supported and go on with their own lives

This important book contains real-life illustrative examples and a wealth of helpful strategies and coping mechanisms that can be put into action immediately.

Preface ix

Introduction xiii

Part One Understanding Bipolar Disorder 1

1 What Is (and Isn’t) Bipolar Disorder? 3

2 A Brief, Colorful History (and Some Science) of Bipolar Disorder 19

3 Getting an Accurate Diagnosis 35

4 Understanding Medication 53

5 Understanding Psychosocial Therapies and Medical Treatment Options 71

Part Two Living with Your Partner 87

6 Building a Support Team 89

7 Bipolar Disorders and the Workplace 107

8 Communication and Coping Skills 127

9 Coping with Negative and Dangerous Behaviors 147

10 Sex, Intimacy, and Relationship Issues 161

11 Suicide Attempts, Hospitalization, and Commitment 177

12 Family Matters 193

Appendix: Excerpts from the DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria for Bipolar Disorder 209

Notes 233

Resources 237

About the Authors 245

Index 247

Mental health columnist Lowe and Cohen (psychiatry, Harvard Univ.) team up to address the needs and concerns of those who are involved with someone who has bipolar disorder. They use nontechnical language to describe all aspects of diagnosis, treatment options, and day-to-day issues. Numerous vignettes of couples, told from the nonbipolar partner's point of view, personalize the narrative and also make clear how varied the symptoms, whether behavioral or emotional, can be. Specific advice is offered on communicating with family, friends, and work colleagues; developing a professional and nonprofessional support system; and navigating the impact of this disease on work and personal life. There is also an extensive reading list appended, and resources appropriate to the topic at hand are integrated into the text.
Verdict: This offers practical help to those living with or related to a person who is or might be suffering from bipolar disorder. A guide on the nitty-gritty details of managing a relationship and a life, with a hefty dose of encouragement thrown in, this has lots of excellent resources for all aspects of diagnosis, treatment, communication, and coping.—Paula McMillen, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas (Library Journal, January 29, 2010)

Chelsea Lowe is a health writer and essayist and the author of The Everything Health Guide to OCD. She has written feature articles and essays for NPR, Newsweek, Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and other publications.

Bruce M. Cohen, MD, PhD, is emeritus director of the Harvard University– affiliated McLean Hospital and the Robertson-Steele Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cohen is a national leader in the study and treatment of bipolar disorders.

Living with Someone Who's Living with Bipolar Disorder

If you love someone who has bipolar disorder, this warm, sometimes humorous, user-friendly book will give you the information you need to deal with changing moods, turbulent ups and downs, depression, mania, and other behaviors that are disturbing. Designed as a hands-on guide and written in everyday, nontechnical language, the book offers practical answers to the most commonly asked questions about bipolar disorder.

"A spellbinding look. For those touched personally by this long misunderstood disorder—a must-read that could change your life."—Patricia Cornwell, best-selling mystery author

"With this book, Dr. Cohen and Chelsea Lowe will bring palpable comfort to those whose lives have been affected by bipolar disorders."—Glenn Close, award-winning actress and advocate

"This is a much-needed book. Although common, bipolar disorder remains widely misunderstood. Chelsea Lowe and Bruce Cohen have written a highly accessible book full of accurate and useful information."—Steven E. Hyman, provost, Harvard University; former director, National Institute of Mental Health