Customer Reviews

Intense Minds: Through the Eyes of Young People with Bipolar Disorder

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Parents of bipolar kids are among my favorite people. Despite the terrible illness that brings us together, I always manage to part company on a feel-good note. Maybe it's their love and dedication and intelligence and optimism in the face of circumstances that would leave anyone else embittered and demoralized. Maybe it's their sixth sense for projecting the kind of empathy that can't be faked.

One of these individuals is Tracy Anglada, whom I met last summer at a conference in Stockton, CA that featured Dr Papolos and Janice Papolos. I was there in a dual role as a reporter for this Newsletter and to work up a pre-publication buzz for my soon-to-be-released book. The organizers of the conference kindly allowed me a table to exhibit my wares. One of my fellow exhibitors was Tracy, and we found lots of time to talk.

Tracy is a Florida mom who started up her own organization, BPChildren, dedicated to helping young people and adults understand more about pediatric bipolar. She is the author of "Intense Minds: Through the Eyes of Young People with Bipolar Disorder."

One quick look at the opening paragraphs, and you will drop everything you're doing:

"A broad smile spread across my son's face. His eyes shone brightly and he turned to me to share his good news. What was the cause of excitement for my 6-year-old son? We were at a meeting, and the speaker was describing the horrible plight of the Biblical man Job.

"'Job was so sick, he wanted to die,' said the speaker.

"What was my son's good news in response to that statement? Two simple words: "Like me!" He had finally found someone he could relate to, someone else who wanted to die. It was comforting for him to know he was not alone. It was no comfort to me. As a parent, those were the worst words I could have heard."

This is a book where the kids (or adults recalling their tormented childhoods) get to tell their stories. It's designed for kids to read, but any clinician or educator or other interested party who does not buy a copy is guilty of malpractice. Listen:

"I was told how retarded, demonized and horrible a child I was. So I never felt I was wonderful or good." (Dawn)

"I was trying to survive in an environment that was not the same to me as it was to other people." (Tasha)

"It feels like a ping pong ball going from one side to the other in my head - one bounce telling me to stay quiet, the other bounce telling me to scream." (Tim)

"My dreams were scary. I was zipped in a bag of water in my closet drowning, while bad guys were trying to kill my daddy." (Steven)
In case you still think we're forcing meds on kids:

"I would have been better off being treated if I had been diagnosed properly. I was miserable as a child. Horribly miserable." (Lee)

And, last but not least, the good we can take away from all this:

"I use this illness to my advantage. Be strong and remember where you have been and what you have been through. If I beat those days, I can beat anything now that I know the illness, the symptoms and the feelings of it." (Linda)

This is a must read book for every parent, educator, family member and friend of a child with pediatric bipolar disorder in order to bring understanding, awareness and acceptance of the individual."
With attention to detail and Ms. Anglada's exceptional literary skill the reader who is not personally affected by bipolar disorder is able to walk a few steps in the shoes of another.
Thank you Ms. Anglada for providing me as a parent the opportunity to walk for a minute in my child's shoes!! Mother of a 15 year old child with bipolar disorder

"It's been said that 98% of the problem is realizing there is one. Intense Minds is a crash course in understanding the illness with a message of hope and compassion for children suffering with bipolar disorder."
Thank You, a Grandfather of bipolar children

I found this book to be valuable in that it helped me get a better perspective on what it feels like to the child/youth experiencing shifts in mood states over time. I had not seen another book like it, and was very interested in what kids themselves had to say about bi-polar disorder. Even as a parent of an EOBP child, after reading through this book I realized I had not fully considered how he processed his disorder internally - both prior to as well as post dx. The narratives represented here are in the kids own words, with brief summaries and segues between topics provided by the author. There is very little disorder overview or treatment commentary. The experiences cover a wide spectrum of experiences in this often misunderstood, misdiagnosed disorder. There is no uniform experience of bipolar disorder, despite overlapping symptomologies.

It is difficult enough to get an accurate diagnosis for a child/youth with bipolar disorder. Gaining greater insight into what the child thinks about their own cycling (because they are not likely telling you) is incredibly valuable. After reading this book I had a much better idea of what kids go through as well as what works/what doesn't as far as day-to-day management, and why. It definitely boosted my compassion quotient. I recommend this book to anyone who works with or parents a bi-polar child.

I really, really love this book. As I was reading, I thought of many people I would like to share it with. Even after living with this disease for 5 years, I still found much to learn. I saw my kids, and I caught a glimmer of what they must be experiencing, but cannot express in words. Thank you so much for writing it. .....Mother of two children with bipolar disorder

If you have ever wondered what it must be like to be a child with Bi-polar disorder then you must read Intense Minds. It offers an insight to such a depth of feeling, that it is hard to look at these children the same way ever again. I hope that anyone who has any contact with such a child would read this book and understand the chaos reigning in such a small place.

As a parent of a child with bipolar disorder, and a health care professional, I strongly urge everyone who interacts with these children to read this book. It is the only one I know of that explains the disease through the eyes, ears and feelings of the child or adolescent. It gave me insights I never could have obtained through medical literature, or even from my own child.

This book examines the minds of young people with Bipolar Disorder. The author's presentation is so much more than a description of symptoms often used to make a diagnosis. Anglada delves into the minds, thoughts, and feelings of these kids through interviews where the children provide honest, unfiltered accounts of the way they experience the world.

The individual descriptions of such intense childhood experiences, each originating from a child's mind, left me with a deeper and more profound understanding of what these children go through in their day to day lives.

This is book is a gift to anyone seeking to understand Bipolar Disorder from the perspective of the sufferer. Five Stars.

Through their own words about growing up with Bipolar Disorder, children, teens, and adults offer an opportunity for others to empathize and act to support children with whom they may work in the classroom, at home, and in a medical or therapeutic setting. This is a quick read which includes descriptions of the illness and suggestions for helping young people successfully cope with their disorder.

Intense Minds was worth the money I paid for it the moment I received it. After opening the package I randomly started reading. I read two pages which left me with a stunning insight to the behavior of a specific incident which I had experienced with a bipolar individual. It was like a light bulb went on in my head. I realized why the behavior happened and can only guess how much pain that individual was feeling to react to the situation in that way. It finally made sense to me. Bipolar disorder seems to be about emotions, feelings and the processing of information. This book gives great insight into the emotions and feelings of young bipolar individuals.
Bill Maddock