What Works for Bipolar Kids: Help and Hope for Parents [Paperback]

Mani Pavuluri MD PhD (Author), Susan Resko MM (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1593854072 | ISBN-13: 978-1593854072 | Edition: 1

It may be hard to believe your child will ever get better, but kids with bipolar disorder can and do lead healthy, stable lives. In this compassionate and optimistic book, expert clinician and renowned researcher Mani Pavuluri delivers information, advice, and proven strategies that empower you to deal with the challenges of bipolar disorder and help your child get well. Drawing on 20 years of experience with bipolar kids and their families, she provides solidly researched strategies for reducing or eliminating problems with mania, aggression, sleep disturbances, depression, and other issues. You’ll discover practical ways to handle crises at home and in school, work with professionals to find an effective combination of medicine and psychotherapy, and cultivate a supportive community of friends and peers for your child. Dr. Pavuluri also helps you deal with the stress that comes with parenting, so you can maintain your poise, focus on the positive, and be a powerful advocate for your child.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Finally, a book about pediatric bipolar disorder that really gets it right, offering help and hope where so much misinformation and misunderstanding have interfered with parents' getting the best for their child. Given all the confusion about diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Pavuluri's book is a godsend for parents. Her writing is warm and welcoming, and her practical wisdom and common sense leap off the page."--Peter S. Jensen, MD, Director, The REACH Institute

"The approach in this book has helped me achieve new stability for my son. For parents in search of help, this book will become your compass for all that lies ahead. Dr. Pavuluri’s expertise, passion, and tireless effort shine through on every page. She provides excellent information on how to manage bipolar disorder, choose and communicate with care providers, and advocate for your child in the school and health insurance arenas. The book is refreshing in its overarching sense of optimism, empathy, and support."--J. McCarthy, parent

"It's as if Dr. Pavuluri wrote this book for me and my family! Reading it gave me a better understanding of why my son with bipolar disorder acts the way he does, together with tools to help alleviate his pain. Throughout, Dr. Pavuluri demonstrates her understanding of these children's feelings and provides invaluable explanations and resources. This book shows parents like me that we are not alone. It is truly inspirational, and has given me new hope for my son."--Laurie P., parent

"Dr. Pavuluri speaks frankly to parents, but with a comforting wisdom. She compares treatment to building a house--medication management is the foundation, psychological counseling provides the bricks, and family therapy is the cement that holds it all together. This book provides a useful and encouraging blueprint."--Gabrielle A. Carlson, MD, Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stony Brook University School of Medicine

"Dr. Pavuluri has seen it all--the stress on families, the frustrations in finding the right medications, the battles for support in school. This book will be a major help as you strive to make sense of your child's symptoms and the many different treatment recommendations you may receive."--David J. Miklowitz, PhD, author of The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide

About the Author

Mani Pavuluri, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Child Psychiatry and Founding Director of the Pediatric Mood Disorders Clinic and Pediatric Bipolar Research Program at the Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago. A widely cited expert on psychological disorders in young children, she has been listed as one of "America’s Top Psychiatrists" by the Consumers’ Research Council. Dr. Pavuluri is currently Chair of the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation's Professional Advisory Council.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (May 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593854072
• ISBN-13: 978-1593854072
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Mental Health > Bipolar
  • #97 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Special Needs

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST Bipolar Kid Book Available!, May 24, 2009

By 

Kelli B. (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Works for Bipolar Kids: Help and Hope for Parents (Paperback)

I've got a library full of books about bipolar in children, but this is now my favorite and the first one I consult when questions arise. When I read this book for the first time, I immediately realized that Dr. Pavluri understands, better than anyone else I've encountered, what it is like to live with and love a child who suffers from early-onset bipolar disorder. Her commitment, compassion and genius really come through. In particular, I found that the book contains lots of specifics-- e.g., a treatment algorithm and specific examples of how and when to talk to (or not talk to) your child. She clearly understands the difficulty that many of us have getting our friends and family to understand and support our efforts on behalf of our children. In fact, I have prepared an information sheet for such people, which includes several excerpts from the book related to discipline ("Johnny never has any problems when he's with me. You just need to show him who's in charge.") and variable symptom presentation ("If she can keep it together at school, then she can keep it together at home.") This book is so fabulous that it makes me wish we lived in Chicago and could work with Dr. Pavluri in person.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Resource, June 19, 2008

By 

Jen "mom of 3" (Arlington Heights, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What Works for Bipolar Kids: Help and Hope for Parents (Paperback)

What Works for Bipolar Kids: Help and Hope for Parents

This book is a welcome addition to resources for parents struggling to help their child deal with a bipolar diagnosis. Dr. Pavuluri writes as though she is seeing into your family's heart and I know the knowledge shared in this book will ultimately help our family to heal. We will always have to grow and learn new ways to cope with this difficult diagnosis our daughter has received, but this book will be an essential tool along the way. Thank you to Dr. Pavuluri and her team for their years of research that ultimately led to her writing this book and for offering real solutions to the everyday challenges we, as parents of bipolar kids, face on a daily basis.

If you are new to this diagnosis, you MUST get this book. If you've been struggling with this diagnosis for awhile now - open the pages and help is on the way!!!! Thank you Dr. Pavuluri from the bottom of my broken heart!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for the Future, January 12, 2009

By 

W. Sprankle - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What Works for Bipolar Kids: Help and Hope for Parents (Paperback)

Applying adult criteria to diagnose children with the Bipolar Disorder is an injustice to the children and their parents. This book provides an excellent resource for parents and counselors to develop a foundation to learn about childhood bipolar disorder. The book provides interventions that may be used with children. It also addresses parental-child relationship and dynamics. This book is a foundational book to begin to learn about the childhood bipolar disorder and opens the door of hope for the child's future.