Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: bipolar disorder, Oklahoma City, World War, Santa Claus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Sugar & Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder is the story of an ordinary person who lived with and ultimately overcame bipolar disorder (manic-depression.). She was not diagnosed until she was 37. She describes what it is like to be raised in a family overshadowed by the illness, and to try to fit in in school and to function at work with the undiagnosed disorder. The failure of a marriage and relationships are detailed, and she struggles to understand why her life is so different and so difficult, until she has a sudden revelation that something is wrong with her and that she needs help. Then comes the long fight to get treatment as she tries medication after medication after being misdiagnosed as psychotic. For five years she seeks knowledge and understanding of the disorder that makes her suffer. In a dramatic turn, Jane realizes she must enter a mental hospital to get the treatment she needs. She describes life in a locked ward, and how her doctor finally finds the medication her disorder responds to. She feels she has been given the key that lets her out of the hell the mood disorder has kept her in all her life, and for the first time, she feels "normal." After the hospital, Jane has to face the world again and start a new life. She is able to work for years without her employers discovering her secret. However, after ten years, she develops an allergy to the medication that has served her so well and must start the process over again. During this process, she loses her dream job and falls back into depression. A story of ultimate triumph over bipolar disorder; find out how she did it and how you, too, can manage the disorder through medication and therapy.

About the Author

Jane Thompson is a person with a breadth of experience. She has worked as a social worker, a teacher, as a paralegal, and, of course, as a writer. For years she wrote for the publisher of a political encyclopedia and served as a medical writer for a training corporation. It was in these positions that she learned to express herself with brevity and clarity. When she decided to write her own story, Sugar & Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder, this experience aided her in getting the story on paper. Just as, when she worked as a medical writer, her knowledge of mental health issues helped her in that position. Jane as had twenty short stories published. This is her first book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (August 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425953174
• ISBN-13: 978-1425953171
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #43,606 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very candid account, November 20, 2006

By	Seehorse72 (Danbury, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews

This author's struggle to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder comes through very clearly in this narrative. I enjoyed this book very much, aside from some minor editorial mistakes. I appreciate how candid the author is about her difficulties in her jobs and relationships. I almost wanted to celebrate with her when she finally found a doctor who could properly diagnose her and give her the proper medical care she had sought for many years.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Gem, January 22, 2007

By	E. Rothwell (New England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book. It fills a need for sufferers of bipolar disorder and their families to hear the personal stories of others. It is also eye opening for those not familiar with the disease. It offers a wonderful narrative of the interior experience of the illness. It is concise and to the point, no nonsense, yet also delightfully witty. I recommend it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars witty and brave, December 5, 2006

By	A. D. Nagy (christiansburg, va) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a fellow sufferer with bipolar disorder this book was particularly poignant for me. It was an insightful and humorous journey through one woman's brave fight against a difficult disease that is frequently the source of prejudice. For those of us who also suffer from this disease this book was a breath of hope in what can sometimes feel like an endless and hopeless battle. It is also a beautiful and courageous testament to a life lived with fortitude and humor despite the challenges of living with bipolar. Bravo Jane.