Customer Reviews

New Hope for People with Bipolar Disorder: Your Friendly, Authoritative Guide to the Latest in Traditional and Complementary Solutions

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For those diagnosed with this disabling illness and their family and friends, this 2nd edition, published 2007, is essential to a better understanding of this mysterious and often frustrating illness. As head of psychiatry at Rush medical college for 30 years, Dr. Fawcett trained many of those prominent and truly capable in the field of psycho-pharmacology today. My daughter and I have been blessed with the help of two of those he mentored at Rush. An easy read for both patient and family alike, "New Hope" 2nd edition covers the whole spectrum from the newest medications to social behaviors, etc. I can't recommend it highly enough. It is essential for anyone dealing with this devastating illness. Thank you, Dr. Fawcett!

"For many bipolar patients, the dark cloud of the illness is leavened by silver linings-creativity, intelligence, and drive. As a result, the bipolar spectrum is a more prevalent phenomenon among those in the public eye: artists, performers, writers, composers, and charismatic leaders."

Nancy Rosenfeld is a bipolar survivor who convinced Jan Fawcett (one of the world's leading authorities on depression and bipolar disorder) and Bernard Golden (a practicing psychologist for more than 30 years) to coauthor this book. Since more than 6 million people suffer from bipolar disorder/manic depression this is a much needed resource. This is the third book I've read on this disorder and this is by far the most comprehensive.

The book begins by profiling several famous people who have the disorder. Some of the main problems include mania, hypomania and depression. This book explains the differences between Schizoaffective Bipolar disorder, Bipolar I and Bipolar II disorder. This book also lists a number of medications like Lithium, Risperidone and Geodon that are helpful in treating the disorder.

"Despite all the research demonstrating that people with mental illness are actually less prone to violence than others, many people erroneously associate aggressive behavior with mental disorders." ~ pg. 153

The book becomes even more useful as you read about when medications should be taken and what to watch for in regards to side effects. A patient must at times choose between side effects and suicidal tendancies. In the long run it is better to deal with the side effects than to lose your life. If a pill causes drowsiness then it might be better taken at night. Often side effects can be treated by taking an additional medication.

The prevention of suicide is an essential chapter. It talks about the importance of staying on medication and gives a list of things you can do if you think someone may be suicidal. There is also a Stress Questionnaire to establish your level of stress. The authors explain why you should develop an adequate support system and also give a list of books to read for further information.

I can highly recommend this to families who are dealing with bipolar disorder, to doctors who must address the many needs of their patients and to those suffering with bipolar disorder.

"For many people with bipolar disorder, the turning point in their life comes when they understand their situation, accept responsibility for their actions, and are willing to work hard to change their lives." ~ pg. 218

With so many people suffering from this disorder it is very likely that you will meet someone in your life with this issue. In order to understand what it is like to be bipolar this book is essential. If you are suffering with bipolar disorder then there is not a minute to lose and this book will give you hope that you can be treated effectively. Since many doctors don't have the time for detailed explanations this can also be used as a companion to your present treatment. For doctors I can recommend Treatment of Bipolar Illness: A Casebook for Clinicians and Patients.

~The Rebecca Review

This is a very useful book for anyone who has been diagnosed with, or has a family member that has been diagnosed with, bipolar disorder. It is the equivalent to everything about bipolar disorder that "The Joy of Cooking" is to food.

I read the original book and this is much better. It is very up-to-date in terms of therapies and medications. I especially liked the ideas about self-help. This book is written by professionals and a woman with bipolar disorder, so it gives a lot of perspectives. I highly recommend this book.

I thought this book in its attempt to be friendly rather than authoritative was dumbed down sometimes to the point of being an insult to the reader's intelligence. There is some science in it and some clinical discussion that is worth it, but it is quite disjunctive and not well organized, hopping around from topic to topic, and full of platitudes and obvious statements. What really is needed is a serious book for the serious reader, and this is not it. There is nothing in this book you can't find on the internet in various forms or other - the book as nothing of the insight into the condition that some more popular books have -- the whole first chapter is about how stress can induce episodes before we even know what the disease is, what causes it, etc - this is just sloppy - the whole book is sloppy. There have to be better books on the market than this, not recommended for the serious reader.