The Bipolar Handbook: Real-Life Questions with Up-to-Date Answers [Paperback]

Wes Burgess (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2006

For Dr. Wes Burgess, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder means hope-hope for the estimated ten million people who will develop the disorder during their lifetimes, and hope for the families and friends of people who suffer from it. Drawing upon the real questions asked by patients and families during his nearly twenty years as a bipolar specialist, The Bipolar Handbook comprehensively tackles every area of the disorder, from its causes to medical treatment and psychotherapy, to strategies for creating a healthy lifestyle, to the prevention of, coping with, and treatment of bipolar episodes. From the more than five hundred questions and answers, you'll learn:

- what to expect when pursuing a diagnosis
- how to choose the right doctor or specialist
- how to get the disorder under control
- what treatments and medication protocols are best for you
- how to reduce stress to prevent manic and depressive episodes
- what family members and friends can do to support you, and more

Dr. Burgess also addresses unique lifestyle concerns facing bipolar individuals. Special chapters on practical strategies for career success, building healthy relationships, issues that specifically affect bipolar women, and coping techniques for families and friends further explore the impact of the disorder on daily life.

The Bipolar Handbook's easy-to-access format and full chapter of resources, as well as diagnostic criteria from the American Psychiatric Association and the National Institute for Mental Health, make this a versatile guide-perfect for quick reference and in-depth discovery.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Wes Burgess, M.D., Ph.D., is a practicing psychiatrist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. A featured commentator on NPR and network television and a former member of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, he has lectured worldwide, written for professional journals, and contributed to several books. He lives in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Avery/Penguin; 1 edition (June 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583332499
• ISBN-13: 978-1583332498
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Bipolar

More About the Author

I live and work in Los Angeles where I practice psychiatry, specializing in depression, bipolar disorder, panic, ADHD, performance anxiety, shyness, and writers + actor's problems. Check out these links:
www.wesburgess.yourmd.com,
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/6712,
http://www.facebook.com/people/Wes-Burgess/100000094701732,
http://myspace.com/wesburgessmd,
and web store: http://astore.amazon.com/webumd-20
I like my career. I trained at Stanford University, I have been on university faculties, and I've lectured around the world. I've won prizes, including the Purdue University Literary Award and the Meade Johnson Award for Excellence in Writing. My credentials include two doctoral degrees, and I have taught at UCLA Medical School, Stanford University Medical School, University of California Davis Department of Psychology, and Stanford University Department of Biology. I was Chief Resident at Stanford and I completed fellowships at Stanford and the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. I have been a consultant for the California State Bar Association, the California Consumer Research Center and two feature films, as well as a regular guest on NPR, and I've been interviewed by everyone from US Magazine to Teen Wire, ParentLife Magazine, and the LA Times.

I have written 4 books on mental health as well as book chapters and scientific papers on social relationships. My interests include snorkeling--I have written a book on the subject and I encourage you to experience our hidden underwater world by participating in this healthy, green sport. My studies of Taoism helped me make personal progress that I explain in my book on enlightenment. I feel fortunate to live near the beach in Southern California where life is warm, and dogs, children, and gardens flourish. If you come to the ocean, you may see me flying stunt kites on the beach.

You deserve to have a life that is healthy, happy, and fulfilling. Thanks for your continuing support and special thanks to my clients, readers, and those who have written reviews and notes telling how my books have helped them.

Wes Burgess, MD, PhD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars safe passage for those who suffer (or know ones who do), June 22, 2006

By 

Christopher Cleveland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bipolar Handbook: Real-Life Questions with Up-to-Date Answers (Paperback)

I am a bi polar male who has read virtually all mass marketed books in the field. Having gained familiarity with the "competition", I can honestly say this is the finest book in the field.

In a series of beautifully organized chapters, Dr. Burgess covers everything from medications, diet, and dating life. The book is positively encyclopedic.

The book's strengths lie in the fact that Burgess doesn't spend so much time on anecdotal stories, as many of his competitors do, but rather, he organizes his material so as to invite you to actively particpate in your own treatment. And believe me, there can be no greater gift, coming from one who suffers, than to be made to feel, with this brilliant book's help, that one can be at the steering wheel for one's own treatment.

So, don't hesitate. If you are bi polar, know or love someone who is bi polar, to pick up this book. It has it all. It even turned me on to Samuel Coleridge!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is truelly an incredible book, August 1, 2006

By 

Sarah Luciani (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bipolar Handbook: Real-Life Questions with Up-to-Date Answers (Paperback)

I have bipolar disorder, and also have a mother and sister with it. Educating myself on this illness has been very important to me. I have to say this book is absolutely the best in it's class.
I have read many books with the intention of educating on bipolar disorder, and they have been helpful in a generic sense, I now needed something more in depth. This was it! This book answers so many questions about living with the disorder, medications, diet and other complications that are common with this illness.
I keep referring back to it, it reminds me that I am not alone in this. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book! I Had Never Connected These Parts of Myself Before, September 9, 2006

By 

Jennifer A. Whiteford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Bipolar Handbook: Real-Life Questions with Up-to-Date Answers (Paperback)

Although I have wondered if I was bipolar for many years now, I was only just diagnosed two days ago by my primary dr. (and referried to a psychologist). After I took the kids to school yesterday, I went out to the book store and looked up books on bipolar. The first one I picked that interested me, I took and sat down with. I kept reading it and reading it and finally decided I had to take it home with me.

It is question-and-answer format, so you really can just read a section at a time, rather than a "whole chapter". I won't say "everything" in this book is "me", but I can't tell you how it was to finally sit and read something that was talking about ME! Things that have been following me around since I was a teenager (now 34) and I never connected them together. Never was diagnosed! I was always told I was "normal", or depressed or anxious and put on meds for these. I KNEW something was not right with my behavior- cheap sex on the first date w/o protection, driving on a whim 10 hours to visit an online "friend", buying big items on a whim... and more than that, the RUSH that with it! Leaving jobs in the middle of the day to go "hide" just so nobody knew where to find me!

I could go on, but the point is that I had never connected all these things (and more) in my life before. I was always told I was lazy, to "get your life in order"... now I know why I talk a million miles and hour, switch topics 10 times and can't find my way back to waht I started to talk about- all within 30 second!

Its wonderful to finally at least have all these bits connected so that I might begin to learn how to cope with this. Having dysphoria as they call it,- detached from the world, floating, things seeming more colorful, seeing people in front of me who "suddenly disappear"- might seem fun, but really its not. Its like I am being made to do them. And then soon after, getting extremely depressed and planning ways to kill myself ... and worst of all, not being able to control any of these things- even when I know they are not "normal".

I tried writing Dr. Burgess to thank him at his website, but I could not find the address. So- thank you Dr. Burgess for this amazing book! I can finally get to working on not thinking I am a horrible person for continually failing at things I try to start up (school, jobs, projects, relationships) and to hopefully learn how to NOT think I can "do it all and more if only there were enough hours in the day".