The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child: A Survival Guide for Parents [Paperback]

Judith Lederman (Author), Candida Fink (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743229401 | ISBN-13: 978-0743229401 | Publication Date: October 21, 2003 | Edition: Original

HELP IS HERE

Bipolar disorder has recently been identified as one of the most misunderstood and underdiagnosed conditions affecting children -- and it is dramatically on the rise. The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child gives parents the sound advice and expert information they need to cope with this challenging diagnosis, and shows how to provide essential care and support for a bipolar child as well as for the rest of the family.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Janice Papolos Coauthor of The Bipolar Child A sympathetic roadmap....It not only outlines the territory, but it reminds the reader how sensitive these children are and offers helpful suggestions that can make life smoother.

Robert L. Findling, M.D. Director, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry This book gives poignant firsthand accounts of what it is like to be the parent of a child with bipolar disorder. For those who are looking for assistance and guidance from a parent's perspective, the book provides reasonable, commonsense suggestions that caregivers are likely to find quite helpful.

Miriam Arond Editor-in-Chief, Child Magazine The authors provide a tremendous service to parents with bipolar children. The information provided is comprehensive and specific. This book fills a big wide gaping hole that those in need will deeply appreciate.

Ruth Field, M.S.W. Past President and Cofounder, Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation This is the book I was looking for years ago and couldn't find! The authors have captured the experience of parenting children with bipolar disorder, and have provided validation and support for this most important journey.

About the Author

Judith Lederman, a freelance writer and public relations consultant, has written for The New York Times and a number of national magazines, and hosted two weekly radio shows in the New York area. She is the parent of a bipolar child and lives in Scarsdale, New York.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743229401
• ISBN-13: 978-0743229401
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #371,156 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Child Psychiatrist's Review, December 28, 2005

By 

Anne Fenton, MD "child psychiatrist" (Wellesley, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child: A Survival Guide for Parents (Paperback)

This book is a godsend for clinicians, bipolar children, and their families. It includes every important experience, concern, quest, and resource I have ever come across in my practice full of many bipolar children and their families.
The book is written in a compassionate style and knowing vantage point that only the author-mother of a bipolar child could achieve. The brief but pointed notes from the psychiatrist at the end of each chapter provide added expertise in an artful and humble way which I think parents can really appreciate. By so placing these comments, the message is clear: we psychiatrists often learn more from our patients than they do from us. Occasionally, we have something relevant to add.
I found each chapter not only incredibly true to life, but extremely informative. Especially useful are the web sites, names of organizations and support groups, and other recources which are usually obtainable only by laboriously researching a vast number of widely varying and often unrelated sources.
To top it all off, the last chapter discusses guardianships, trusts, and other methods of financially protecting bipolar children. These issues are seldom brought up in timely fashion, if at all, by clinicians. Further, families are often totally unaware of the options, and have no guidelines for even posing the necessary questions.
Since reading this book, I have recommended it to every parent of a bipolar child who has walked into my office. For some parents, reading this book has provided a diagnostic revelation, and hope for a future which had seemed hopelessly bleak.
The seal of authenticity offered by the author-parent, as well as by the testimony of the parents who responded to her surveys is the most convincing "selling point" of this book for parents who are otherwise tired of hearing quasi-expert opinions from professionals, family, and friends.
I have also recommended this book to my colleagues, most of whom treat only adult patients. I hope after reading this book, that they will listen with a different ear to their adult patients who describe the particular trials of parenting their children. Perhaps, rather than buying and reinforcing many a parent's guilt ridden self report that their own inconsistent parenting is the identifiable problem, informed clinicians will ask the probing questions which may uncover the real issues, and bring more undiagnosed bipolar children into much needed treatment.
Many thanks for this honest, wonderfully researched, and beautifully readable book.

Anne Fenton, MD
website: http://www.CommonSenseMedical.com

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on Early Onset Bipolar Disorder, February 11, 2004

By 

Patricia A. Foil "Trish Foil" (Eglin AFB, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child: A Survival Guide for Parents (Paperback)

This is a must for any parent with a child with Early Onset Bipolar Disorder. I very rarely highlight a book but this one now has many pink markings and I have told my husband he must read this. There are very few books on Early Onset Bipolar Disorder and this is one of three that I strongly encourage you to read.
Many believe that BP stands for bad parenting, this book dispels this myth. If any child in your family has Early Onset Bipolar Disorder I would suggest reading this book and passing it onto all the family members!!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sympathetic voice, September 5, 2005

By 

Mary Ellen Coleman "meac" (Pleasant Valley, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child: A Survival Guide for Parents (Paperback)

I thought I was alone in dealing with my daughter's situation. Absolutely no one in my community understood what I was going through, and blamed me for her behavior. I feel more in control, now that I've read this book. The author shares stories from others who have endured experiences similar to my own. She describes the physical condition behind Biopolar disorder in laymen's terms. Then, she gives practical sugggestions for dealing with the situation. The book is a quick-read--something you will appreciate if you need to help yourself FAST.