Customer Reviews

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

This book was a life saver for our relationship. It gave us a reality check on issues that we were facing and taught us how to deal with them hands on. Before reading this book, I thought that I could deal with Bi-polar in my partner. I had NO idea what that meant. This book was completely honest in the expectations. It was an eye-opener. It helped me realize that Bi-polar is treatable and helped me realize that I wasn't alone. It gives real examples of treatment plans. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has someone in their life with bi-polar (not just a partner) a friend, sibling, parent, child etc. Thank you Julie for taking the time to write this amazing book!

I found this book quite by accident while looking for something to read at Borders. I was diagnosed as bipolar about a year ago. But in the previous two yearsfore diagnosis, I wrecked my marriage, my finances, was suicidal, and almost bankrupted my company. With medication, good support around me, i am doing much better. Most bipolar people do not think anything is wrong, only that people around them are distressed. My advantage (disadvantage) is that my Dad also developed the disease at midlife and so I know i have the same thing, and that all things i do or say do not always make sense.

I honestly believe that having this book earlier in my condition and having a spouse who used the techniques described, would have saved my marriage and finances.

DO NOT MAKE YOUR DECISION BASED ON WHAT THE NEGATIVE REVIEWERS ABOVE HAVE WRITTEN! From someone that has suffered for far too long from the illness, Julie Fast's work has been the MOST VALUBLE to myself and my family/friends. For people that do not suffer from BP disorder, it is next to impossible for them to understand their loved one - no matter how much they love them. The information and tools this book provides are invaluble to those that truly wish to help. If I could give this book 100 stars, I would. So...to everyone out there that wants to help (if not save) your relationship with your BP loved one - - then read the book (don't skim through it - READ it) and if you apply the techniques you will be successful. Do not expect the changes to be easy, or to make things 'all better' over night. It won't happen. However, learning how to respond to BP rather than react, is one critical step that will have immediate results.

Julie Fast's book is an excellent tool for those who have Bipolar disorder or those living with someone who is Bipolar. This is a difficult subject for me, my girlfriend has Bipolar and we have had a very bumpy road, especially this last year. We still wish to remain together and this book has helped, we read it together.

This is probably the most misdiagnosed mental disorder out there. For those who are new to it, it is extremely difficult to get help or find good real information on how to deal with it. We didn't know how to manage Bipolar. There are many people out there who can live with this and have done so for many years, but for most of us it takes a lot of time, understanding, and acceptance that it exists and must be dealt with like any other illness. This book was written in real language by someone who has obviously walked the walk.

It has helped me tremendously as I feel it was written for me. This is a book about communication. Chapter eight "The Bipolar Conversation" was very helpful. We often refer back to the book. We understand life will not be easy with Bipolar but we get hope from Julie Fast and many others who suffer from it that you can in fact manage your life with Bipolar and lead a productive life. Thank you very much.

I bought this book for my husband in the hope it would help him understand more about my bipolar. He seemed to struggle with what I tried to tell him sometimes, and mostly I felt too ashamed or embarassed to tell him how i felt and this book has made such a difference to that!
He has been able to go to it when he needs to find something out - when i am not able (or maybe not willing) to let him in. He has little bookmarks all through it!
The book explains things in a way that makes it easy to use (my husband isn't big on reading), and it has exercises that can be done to help clarify matters - although he/we haven't gotten past the digesting of extra infomation stage yet.
The book has helped him understand that there are reasons for some of the things I do when I'm not well, but doesn't provide cop-outs. It helps him support me when i'm not well rather than hide and wonder what is happening.
This book makes links between behaviours that I hadn't even realised were part of the illness and has gone a long way to improving our marriage - misunderstanding and lack of communication (due to my embarassment) was killing it.
I would highly recommend this book to all who want to understand more, and want to help their partner/loved one.

I found myself finally understanding my Dad (He has bipolar) and myself (I have suffered from clinical depression for nearly all of my life)when I read this book.
I love the personal quality of her writing. You feel like you are getting advise from a real person or a friend, not another clinical discussion of bipolar by people who obviously have no idea what it is like to live with it.
I finally have real world strategies for dealing with this difficult disease. This book is a real life saver, literally.
I was so impressed with the book that I got a hold of Ms Fast's "Health Cards" and they are brilliant! Definitely get them too!

I have been married to a BP for almost 12 years and this book put many of my feelings into writing. I had a problem with the chapter on finances as I think it should have been made more clear that Bipolar II people generally do not have A problem with spending sprees and mania. Also, I think the book presented a lot of extreme cases, i.e. multiple hospitalizations and being unable to work and have sex. BUT I think with that aside, the book has some great practical ideas for management.