Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder (Paperback)

by Julie A. Fast (Author), John D. Preston Psy D ABPP (Author) "The partners of people with bipolar disorder are very similar..." (more)
Key Phrases: bipolar conversation, treat bipolar disorder first, mania triggers, Loving Someone, Couple Takes Charge, The Bipolar Conversation (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Julie Fast and John Preston have written a ground breaking book for couples who want to prevent manic depressive disorder from hijacking their relationship. Fast, a health writer diagnosed with bipolar illness and clinical psychologist Preston are ideal companions. Their innovative ideas will be welcomed by exhausted partners of "bipolar individuals"--whose illness can cause them to alternate between manic and depressed behavior. Once medication has been prescribed, the key is studying the specific ways your partner is effected. This allows couples to develop pro-active strategies for treating and stabilizing mood swings and symptoms, before they develop into full-blown crises. The techniques emphasize prevention, rather than putting out fires. These include understanding the difference between the person and the disease (know when "the bipolar disorder is talking") listing your partner's specific symptoms, identifying the triggers that lead to these symptoms and transforming the "bipolar conversation" The goal of all the tools is to pinpoint early warning signs of a manic or depressive episode and be prepared with a holistic treatment plan. Other segments of the book deal with the work (checkered resumes) and financial problems (spending sprees) created by this illness. The author's ideas are engaging, compassionate and realistic--an oasis of relief and hope. --Barbara Mackoff

Product Description
When a person loves someone with bipolar disorder, life can be very stressful. From medication troubles to a partner's mood swings the demands on a partner can be intense. Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder takes a unique and practical approach to these issues.

Written by an author who has bipolar disorder (and who lived with a partner who also has bipolar disorder) and a coauthor with over ten books on the topic of mental illness, the book offers specific, practical and realistic tips on how a couple can work together as a team to create a treatment plan that teaches them to live with the illness while still maintaining a loving and joyful relationship. (Though this book is written for couples, friends and family members can use the techniques in the book as well.)

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder provides hope and encourages couples to work together to create a plan they can use to help stabilize bipolar disorder so that their relationship can focus on love and companionship instead of the illness. Chapters include ideas on how to create a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates medications and supplements, diet, exercise and behavior and lifestyle changes into one practical approach to this very serious illness. The partner of a person with bipolar disorder learns about communicating with their partner when they're ill, getting real about the situation and how to take on other roles in healing besides caretaking. Other specific topics include work and money, emotions, sexual issues and much more. The goal of the book is to help couples create a relationship that is based on support and prevention instead of constant crisis control.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1st edition (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572243422
• ISBN-13: 978-1572243422
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,351 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help in Understanding this terrible condition, April 4, 2005

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

I first off want to say that I am dissapointed in some of the reviews I have read regarding this book. The Woman who wrote this book never claimed to be the "Be all, Give all" answer to Bipolar disorder. Bipolar is a broad spectrum illness and while one may suffer from severe manic episodes, another may be depressed all the time. One may spend money wildly, another may have slight irritation. I am speaking from personal experience, as I, my mother and sister all have Bipolar disorder and none of our symptoms are the same. I read a review where one woman was upset about her husband taking away her credit cards because people with bipolar can have spending problems. That doesn't mean everyone with bipolar has spending problems!! If her husband took away her credit cards that sounds like a personal issue in their marriage, and if it is due to one book that he read and not due to characteristics of his wife, then that still sounds like a problem!!
What I enjoyed about this book is that it gave me a greater sense of understanding of my mother's erratic behavior, and illness. I have bipolar also, but very mildly so. My mother is extremely manic, and my family and I have spent years being mad about her erratic behavior, spending sprees etc. This book helps to bring you back to a loving place with someone that has this illness. It helps you see that much of the time it is the disease talking and not the person. I am learning to forgive my Mother and recognize her behaviors much better now due to this book. I am coming to a place where I see I can't save her,I can accept who she is, and be more loving about it. If you really care about someone with Bipolar and want to learn how to love them more, I suggest reading this book.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great resourse for family members, June 6, 2004

By A Customer

My daughter has bipolar disorder. She was diagnosed at 31 and has struggled with her medications and life style management for years. Her parther bought this book and asked me to read it as well. What a difference this book has made for us! I have so much trouble knowing what mood swing my daughter is having. I can never remember what is what and I always seemed to do the wrong thing to help her. This book has finally given me the tools I need to learn what to do when I see the first signs that she's getting sick.

Julie Fast constantly reminds the reader that bipolar is an illness and there is often a pattern to the mood swings. I used to think my daughter was just out of control all of the time. She could never settle down and she was always trying something new to make her life better. I understand this more now. I understand pyschosis more as well as the anger she often has when she's sick. This book has helped us so much. I just never knew whether to leave her alone and let her mess up or to get involved and get her mad at me. Now I have tools and they work.

Suicide is my biggest worry, but we now have it out in the open. This helps me with my worry and guilt that I don't or can't do enough to help her.

This is a tough illness, but there is hope. Things are a lot less stressful for us now.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straight talk, real help!, April 16, 2004

By A Customer

After several years of living with a bipolar disorder person, and consulting every book, article, and medical journal I could find, as well as consulting with psychiatrists, psychologists, and support groups, I can truly say that Julie Fast and John Preston have done an outstanding job of creating the most comprehensive resource to date for friends and families of loved ones suffering with bipolar disorder. They have spelled out very frankly the subtelties that indicate a mood change is coming on and the chaos and horrors that can befall the vicitms of mania and depression. Their guidance gives the reader the necessary information to help, yet counsels a compassionate response. Objective, knowledgabe helpers can be a lifeline to their loved ones when they are ill.

I have never seen this much information and level of detail in one place before. It has taken me years to collect this volume of information, some of it at a a very dear cost -- here it is in one book. If you love someone with bipolar disorder, buy and read this book -- every person in my family is getting their own copy. Many thanks to Fast and Preston!