Customer Reviews

Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As a registered nurse and mother of an adult son newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I feel fortunate to have found this book quickly. The information is comprehensive and well organized. The book contains appropriately detailed sections dealing with symptoms/syndromes/diagnosis, treatment, variations/causes/connections, and living with the disorder or with one who has the disorder. As a professional, I found the content sufficiently technical while still appropriate for someone with no medical background. Dr. Mondimore has also provided many other resources including suggested reading, support and advocacy organizations and appropriate Internet sites. The chapter notes will lead you to even more information from periodicals, textbooks and other publications. An index is also included for quick reference within the book.

The chapters on preparation for emergencies and on the role of the family has been especially helpful to my daughter-in-law and me. Unfortunately, my son made a serious suicide attempt several weeks ago. Thankfully, he was not successful and has been in intensive therapy since that time. He is improving with medication adjustment and daily therapy. The whole family is learning about bipolar disorder, previously unrecognized signs and symptoms, and the link to alcohol abuse, unipolar depression and AD(H)D that is present in other family members. As we learn to deal with the diagnosis and it's impact on my son, his wife and children and the rest of us, I plan to buy more copies of this book to share with the family. I have always believed that knowledge is power and this book has assisted me in my quest to learn about bipolar disorder. Thank you Dr. Mondimore!

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder two years ago. I wish that I would have had this book then instead of relying only on the internet for information. I had the mistaken impression that once my medication was 'balanced out', my life would become 'normal'. Thanks to this book, I now understand what I am up against and that this rollercoaster ride may never stop. It is written so that anyone can understand it. It is very thorough and written with compassion. For anyone diagnosed with bipolar disorder and their family and friends, this is an excellent resource to start with. I highly recommend it. It may even save your life.

As a person with bipolar disorder, I was looking for a book that I could give to members of my family so they could understand the illness and (its many variations) better. I also didn't want to scare them even though this is a scary illness. I found this book to be clearly written for people who do not have a medical background. It spelled issues out in an easy and understandable format with excellent examples and explanations. I have read many books on this illness looking for something to give my family, this is the book I will be giving them. I would recommend this book if you, a family member or friends suffers from this illness

Dr. Mondimore has provided a practical, easy-to-read guide for understanding and coping with bipolar disorder. Through the use of case studies, the suthor outlines the types of bipolar disorder, and what symptoms are related to each one. He describes the treatments and lifestyle habits that will help prevent relapse, allowing a person with bipolar disorder to lead a normal life. For the technically oriented reader, Dr. Mondimore also discusses the biological basis of moods, and what is biologically known about the disorder. This is by far the most comprehensive and helpful book I have read on the subject. Dr. Mondimore's writing style is conversational and familiar, and as a result, the information may be readily accepted and applied in the treatment of bipolar disorder by patients and family members alike.

This really was a very informative, practical, easy flowing guide for understanding and coping with Bipolar. Dr. Mondimore describes the lifestyle habits and treatments that will help you prevent relapse, allowing anybody with bipolar disorder to lead a happy, normal life. This was excellent for any family member with somebody who does have this disorder. It really is explained to why they do what it is we do. He covers Moods, medications, alcoholism and drug abuse. Treatment, where to go for help. Getting better and staying well. Also the role the family has and this really was by far the most comprehensive book I have read yet on this matter.

I read this book for the fist time in July of 1999. Since that time I must have bought atleast 6 copies to give to my friends and family. It was one of the best ways to communicate to those who do not understand what I go through what it is like.Dr. Mondimore covers everything and leaves no stone unturned. He is so in tune with how one with Bipolar disorder feels it is amazing! The information is provided in a very easy to read format.The patient,family and family and friends benefit greatly. I strongly urge ANYONE who wants to understand about this illness to pick it up. For those of us who are afflicted with this type of illness, it means so much for you to try to understand as much as possible. By reading this book,it will surely show you care.

I was having a hard six months, and finally ended up in urgent care because I was destroying everyone and everything around me. The doctor talked to me about depression and bipolar disorder. I flipped. "BIPOLAR?! I'm not crazy!" It was at that moment, as I left the clinic, that I realized that I needed to know more about this problem. THis is the first book that I picked up and it made me understand myself as I never did before. I give this book to everyone that is going to be close to me, so they too can understand. I cannot recommend this book enough to people who seek to understand.

This book was of great help to us in understanding our son's illness. It gave excellent medical information at a level the average person can understand, as well as real-life stories that were easy to relate to. I have read several books on this subject, and this book is, by far, the best one. I have recommended it to others, and even purchased 4 additional copies to give to others that needed this type of information.

I was recently diagnosed with a mood disorder and this book has been INVALUABLE to me. As other reviewers have mentioned it is well written, empathetic, comprehensive etc. However, from my perspective, the book's BEST feature is that it describes in detail the differences between Bi-polar I, Bi-polar II, "soft bi-polar" and other variations on the illness.

If you (like me) suspect you are suffering from a mood disorder, but do not relate to the typical mainstream media descriptions of individuals who are "bi-polar" or "manic depressive" (i.e. addictions, out of control spending, extreme mania and extreme depression (suicidal thoughts)) this book can really help define the (very significant) distinctions among diagnoses... and help you to feel better and more hopeful about managing your situation.

I have personally been struggling with bipolar disorder in my life for over 25 years. I could not understand why this kept happening to me, especially since it always happened to me when I was at my best in health, mind, and spirit. It has been very disruptive to my family and professional life. My problem was that I didn't understand the bipolar disorder condition, and therefore never believed in my diagnosis or the prescribed medication.

After my recent bipolar episode, my brother, who is a physician in England, strongly recommended I read the book "Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families". Stubborn as I was, it took me nine months before I finally secured a copy of the book from Amazon.com and began to read it. As soon as I started reading it, I realized the immense wealth of incredibly useful knowledge that was in the book, and that it was a key to understanding myself and my condition.

The book helped me thoroughly understand the bipolar disorder condition, and convinced me of my diagnosis without a doubt. It helped me understand the medical and genetic chemistry behind the disorder. The detailed discussions of the Manic and Depressive states were very helpful to me, as I could relate to them with my own experiences in vivid detail. The numerous case studies presented in the book are also extremely useful to relate to ones own experiences. The detailed information on the various classes and types of medications was very useful to me in understanding the breadth and width of available treatments. Finally, the comprehensive advice on maintenance and prevention was invaluable.

After having read the book, I feel inspired and have renewed hope that I can finally manage my bipolar disorder and bring long-term stability to my life. My family deserves it! My profession demands it!

Kudos to Francis Mark Mondimore M.D. for this excellent book.