Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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".

I am so excited about this book. It has already helped me solve some of my most important problems. This book is different from all the other books on bipolar disorder I have read. Also this book is easy to read. It seems simple at first. But then you realize that you understand concepts that are not in the other books. For the first time, I really understand what bipolar disorder is and have some ideas about what to do about it. This book is worth owning so you can read it over anytime you need to. I am getting a copy for my doctor to read. Also for my brother who has a bipolar kid.

Since I wrote the above review, I've read all the newest books and the Handbook is still the best. I think it is organized well and it has already helped me avoid a minor crisis. The Handbook feels very personal to me compared to the other books. It feels like I am talking with Dr Burgess and he knows and cares about my personal problems. Unlike some other books, this one has practical advice about personal and work relationships as well as family.
I was happy to find out what causes bipolar and why the various treatments work. I also needed to know how bipolar can be passed on to your kids (or not). The book includes information on natural treatments and how to reduce stress. I gave a copy to my doctor and he liked it and said it has information so new that it isn't in the textbooks, yet.
So I'm sold on the Handbook.

I am a doctor with bipolar patients. One of my staff brought in this book last week and we have all read it. It looks like a popular health book but I have learned a number of new things from this book that will improve my patient care. Also, it is an enjoyable read and easy to follow. I have already made this book required reading for my staff, my patients and their families. It has my recommendation.

After a family member was recently diagnosed with Bipolar, I read several books about the illness and this was by far the BEST!

This book is very easy to read because of the way uses a Q&A format. It strikes a perfect balance between providing medical information and real people experience. It's practical and written so that the lay person can understand it. Because it's a "Handbook", it's the kind of book you can refer to over and over again - it's easy to "jump" into any chapter in the book.

It's also a great book to share with family or friends who may need information. Because it gets right to the point, people aren't likely to be overwhelmed and give up on finishing the book. It also covers issues a person with bipolar may not feel comfortable addressing directly with another person.

I also think it's great for a person with bipolar because it is so direct about topics and the information comes from a Doctor who has years of experiencing dealing with bipolar cases.

THE BOOK IS FANTASTIC!

I bought this book shortly after receiving a diagnosis of bipolar. I found that after my diagnosis I was experiencing a lot of emotions in regards to my own misinformation about the disease.

Needless to say, the information in this book really and truly helped me to understand more about myself, and what I can expect and what I need to look for in the future.

It was very easy to navigate, and I felt more assured that this book was written by a psychiatrist who specializes in bipolar.

This is my first book on bipolar disorder, and I am sure it isn't my last, but I am very very glad that it was the first one I read.

For twenty years, Dr. Wes Burgess has been writing down all the questions asked by his bipolar patients. In this book he thoughtfully answers each question, providing a safe friendly environment for the reader.

What I appreciated most about this book was all the information I had never read in other books on bipolar disorder. I had no idea that left untreated, this disorder can grow worse as you age. This is enough of a reason to convince anyone to keep taking their medication. Stopping medications seems to be an issue that the author addresses numerous times because uncontrolled manic episodes can make the disease worse. It was interesting to realize that it is high levels of adrenaline that cause manic symptoms.

Suicide is also dealt with in this book. Thirty percent of individuals with bipolar disorder will attempt to kill themselves. Some of the other symptoms include: insomnia, intrusive thoughts, rapid speech, memory problems, obsessions, hypersomnia (sleeping during the day), spending sprees, hypersexuality, anxious depression, fatigue, anxiety, social isolation, fear, panic, paranoia and auditory hallucinations.

Left untreated or treated with the wrong medications this disease gets worse over time. The author talks about medications he prescribes and gives detailed information about each one. He mentions Geodon and Ativan as well as numerous other medications that work for bipolar disorder.

You may also want to read: New Hope For People With Bipolar Disorder Revised 2nd Edition: Your Friendly, Authoritative Guide to the Latest in Traditional and Complementary Solutions

For doctors I can recommend: Treatment of Bipolar Illness: A Casebook for Clinicians and Patients.

~The Rebecca Review

I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar II and this book has given me the language to better understand the illness I believe has been afflicting me since I was about 15. This has also been an accessible book for those in my life who want to learn more about this illness. Great for those suffering from Bipolar or those close to a Bipolar person.

I was diagnosed as bipolar 7 years ago. I am a fairly well-educated, well read person and I read about every book I could get my hands on and absorbed knowledge about my disorder like a sponge. It's been a few years now since I have read any books regarding my diagnosis because I am a blessed individual in that I have managed to stay sober for 8 years, found a med combination that worked was relatively easily and I have never been off my meds because I know they keep me well, but they don't cure me.

So, when this book randomly popped up while I was searching out contemporary novels of all things on Amazon, I clicked on it...boy am I glad I did!

Ninety pages in I called my therapist (who did such a great job for 7 years, I haven't seen her in 2) to let her know about it. I said, "Nancy, if you were to have a client come in with a BP diagonsis and wanted one book recommendation for him or herself, family and friends, this is the book."

It is fantastically organized into topic sections and comprised completely of questions and answers. I love it. You don't have to read it cover to cover to get good information. As a woman, I loved the extra chapter pertaining to women's issues as they complicate the disorder.

The book has no sections of lecturing, textbook style prose. It's all questions and answers that are applicable to someone who lives with the disorder or is close to someone who does.

Also, I love the writing style...very simple and conversational. Sometimes he gets a little tongue in cheek and I would laugh out loud at the answers because as anyone living with the disorder well knows...if we can't laugh at ourselves during the stable times, it's not worth the cycling times! For example, a question about stress reduction and less need for meds is posed and his answer is (paraphrased), "Well, if you lived in Siberia, in a quonset hunt, eating bon bons and watching MTV all day you probably wouldn't need much medication. But most people with bipolar disorder prefer to have more complex social lives." --AMEN!!! (although believe me there are days that a quonset hut in Siberia sounds like a palace...do they really get MTV in Siberia? :) ).

Bottom line...if you are looking for a book that addresses pertinent questions with applicable answers, that's easy to read, that you could give to family and friends and they could actually digest, that will make you laugh or at least chuckle, that asks you to take a look at why it's so important to have a good working knowledge of your disorder, and that emphasizes the hope to be had once diagnosed, this is THE BOOK.

Thank you Wes Burgess!