Customer Reviews

Bipolar Puzzle Solution: A Mental Health Client's Perspective (Psychological Disorders Series , No 1)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

From someone who lived with a spouse diagnosed with bipolar disorder, this is the best information that I have found to date on this subject. For the last four years, I have been searching for information that was easy to read and understand about the disorder. I have yet to read anything that not only helped me to understand the disease but to also give me some insight on how someone with the disorder feels and what they face on an almost daily basis.

Thank you, Bryan & Dr Nelson, for taking the time to help us better understand and hopefully deal with the issues a bipolar/manic diagnosis can have on the person as well as their friends and family.

BIPOLAR PUZZLE SOLUTION is a book that patients and families both need to read. It is presented in question and answer format, and offers basic advice, therapy almost, on how to live with manic-depressive illness. It covers the everyday problems, such as how to deal with diet and food additives, exercise, drug use and abuse, that may affect one's moods.

It also talks about what to do when feeling "down", how to handle possible daily mood fluctuations, how to be, make and keep friends, sexual difficulties due to medications and how to keep ignorant people and their thoughtless remarks about your "craziness" from getting you down. In short, this book has much advice for staying healthy, as a book about diabetes and well-being would have advice about that illness.

What surprises me is that I'm the first to review this book, and I have not yet seen it on any of sites devoted to bipolar disorder. Perhaps there is too much space devoted to the "memoirs" of so-called celebrities, that people have forgotten that bipolar disorder is not a glamorous disease suffered only by beautiful, elegant, brilliant people. It is a harrowing disease that wrecks the lives of many smart people just trying to make a living and enjoy life. It has quotidian (everyday) implications such as mood fluctuations that subject their sufferers to a skewed vision of the world and the people in it, and diet, exercise and sleep problems that can throw a person into a serious episode.

This book has a religious component; those who don't adhere can skip those questions and go onto the other things, because there is much of value here for everyone!

I think this book should be in every public and medical library!

There are two things that potential readers need to be aware of. First, that the author has been diagnosed as Bipolar II. There is a difference between I and II, so if you happen to be Bipolar I, do not expect to read about the extremes that you may experience. Second, this author comes from a Christian perspective. This is great if you happen to be a Christian; otherwise, you might find his references to God/He/Jesus rather annoying. I do have to note that the physician,Gerald Nelson, portrays a pleasing demeanor that makes reading his comments enjoyable. Therefore, if you are a Christian with Bipolar II, go for it. If you are not, borrow a copy before you buy one.

This book is good, however, I wish that it had more information from the doctor. No two bipolars are alike. It did help my understanding of my mood disorder. The book was a bit on the expensive side, but obviously, I bought it anyway.

I am your typical father, who wants answers now. Two years ago, when our son came home from college three units shy of his degree, I started my assult with "Why can't you work?" "Look at your brothers, they're doing what I want." and "You're lazy." Yes, I said all those wrong things.

This book has opened my eyes to what my son has been going through in the past three years. The book is extremely acrruate when it says mediaction is key.

As stated in our support group, "How would you like to be trapped inside that body, and you can't get out?" I am convinced that he'll never be the exactly the same bright, educated, out-going, loving boy of the past. But, I can look forward to an adult who has gone through a lot, and is making great strides. Keep one thing in mind...medication, medication, medication is the only way to get better. Second best thing is to get some education via a support group and a book like this. This book was outstanding. It can save you a lot heartaches.

I found this to be a pretty good book about bipolar disorder- practical, well written, and easy to use. The book is up against some heavyweights since it is a practical guide to living with the illness- Torrey's "Surviving Manic Depression" and Miklowitz's "Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide" are formidable, excellent books on this subject. I like to get my information from a variety of sources however, so I think this book is a worthy addition to any small library on bipolar disorder, even though it doesn't provide the level of detail or expertise that the other two books bring to the table. Nonetheless, I learned quite a bit from this book. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

In this book, the author says that the right medication is the key to relief from symptoms of bipolar illness. His statement is completely true.

When others, like Elliot who wrote a review here, say that therapy is the key, THEY ARE WRONG! Elliot does not see that the illness is a biological one resulting in mood disturbances. If Elliot could rid himself of bipolar symptoms through therapy, he DID NOT HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER, but had symptoms from other origins.

This bipolar book has the answers and they are backed up by countless people who have a bipolar disorder. I say to Elliot and all people ignorant of the truth, get your facts straight and quit giving your misguided, twisted advice or experience.

Buy the book and avoid going down the desolate road that Elliot is on!

I found this book too simplistic for my needs. I was quite bored, and found myself scanning pages and skipping much as it was unrelated and unnecessary to read.

Peer support groups are an important source of information, understanding, and support for people with bipolar disorder. All of the questions that were asked in one particular bipolar support group were written down, with answers, and published in this book. The author is a bipolar II patient and his answers have been reviewed by his psychiatrist. The questions cover a wider range of topics than is found in other handbooks for bipolar patients however the question and answer format limits the depth of each of the answers to typically a few paragraphs. The author's personal struggle with the disorder comes through clearly. However, the author's experience is with the bipolar II form of the disorder and I felt that aspects of the disorder unique to bipolar I were missing. The author's religious faith is interwoven with advice on coping with the disorder which I found irritating as I suspect will others who do not share the author's religious beliefs. Overall the book presents an unusual mix of personal experience and practical advice aimed at patients and those who support them.

This book was recommended by my Therapist and it has been very useful for reference. My shipment was great. I received notification when it was shipped and it arrived on time. I would do business again with this company.