Customer Reviews

Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down?: Understanding Bipolar Disorder

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As someone who has wrestled with Manic Depression for years, this is the first book that provided me with realistic hope, tons of information, and direction as to how to seek care from an expert. Being a chemical engineer, it was most reassuring to learn of the many new scientific advances. I am now in treatment with a psychiatrist who specializes in Bipolar disorder. The future looks bright. This book was a major help towards that end.

As a sibling of someone with bipolar disease, I found this book to be most re-assuring. It was remarkably reader friendly, while at the same time offering up to date and thoughtful information. In addition, the book balances biology, psychology and the environment in understanding the causes and treatment of this disease. This is a great book for anyone who wants to know that there is clear and realistic optimism for treating bipolar disorder.

Doctors, whose heads are cluttered with statistics, case studies, and theoretical jargon, often write books that are too heavy, boring, and technical for the average person to want to understand. My sincere thanks go to the Dell Publishers, who have had the intelligence to create a series of easy-to-read guides for educating the public about mental health.

Having experienced Bipolar Disorder for several years now, I finally decided it was time to accept that I have this disease and to begin to understand it. "Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down" is a fast-paced, accessible book that tells you what you need to know.

The main idea that runs through this book is: Bipolar Disorder is a serious illness and needs to be treated by a psychiatrist. Having the disorder can mean a significant impairment in life functioning and, though it is not curable, it is treatable.

The book is written like a big brochure. It's organized into eight chapters covering aspects of identifying and learning to live with the disease: (1) Definitions/Overview; (2) Symptoms/Diagnosis; (3) Causes; (4) How to Get Help; (5) The Role of Psychotherapy; (6) The Role of Medication; (7) Alternative Therapies; (8) Coping. Each chapter is broken down into a friendly question-and-answer format, asking questions like, "What is the typical day like for someone in a hypomanic state," and then answering them.

While there is a chapter on alternative therapies, one of the main ideas in this book is that, if you have Bipolar Disorder, you'll probably be taking medication (combined with other therapies).

What this book drills over and over again is that Bipolar Disorder is a serious medical condition that needs to be treated. "Bipolar disorder is the leading cause of suicide in the country," the book says. ...

As a person with Bipolar this book really explains everything very well that your doctor may not. This was very easy ready and very informative. Was up to date and the combination on psychology and biology was impressive. This book took it a step further than most and explained the causes and then the treatments and why these are needed.

As a fellow psychiatrist, I found this book to be remarkably informative, while at the same time both on the clinical cutting edge and appropriately hopeful. This is a must read for mental health professionals,bipolar patients and their loved ones.

This book contains a lot of "stereotypical" ideas about mental illness. The author mentions his surprise that moods are not triggered by "monthly cycles". I found the book offensive to women and did not find it helpful. Many times through the book the author mentions how "dangerous" patients in a mania can be. The reality is that sadly, most patients who are manic commit suicide, not homicide. I was offended by the fact that it was all too obvious that this doctor who wrote the book probably treats his patients in the same way.

I have recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being misdiagnosed with depression for 10 years and this book made a lot of sense. I liked that it addressed the suicide issue, because most books don't mention suicide hardly at all. It stated that bipolar disorder is the #1 reason for suicide in the U.S. The book is easy to read and very interesting for the bipolar person. I also read my husband some of the pertinent stuff I thought he should know. I learned a lot about ECT. It is obviously written by people who know what they're talking about.

This book provides a straightforward explanation of bipolar disorder that is easy to understand and will help educate those with the illness. Some reviewers have described the writing style as dry, and I agree with this- it's pretty much just a dry presentation of facts, though I found the style conducive to learning. I also found it interesting to hear about the illness from an experienced psychiatrist's perspective, as his opinions are grounded in a lot of clinical experience. I also agree with one other reviewer that he sometimes doesn't seem too kind in his description of patients. Nonetheless, definitely worth reading to expand your knowledge of this illness. Avery Z. Conner, author of "Fevers of the Mind".

I recommend this book to all of my clients that have been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. They all come back raving about the book--and in turn recommend it to their family and friends. This book is easy to read and understand. This book provides a thorough understanding of the issue as well as some very practical ways to manage the mood swings.

The paradox of bipolar disorder baffles its victims with its manic highs and depressive lows, plaguing as many as two million Americans. Since bipolar disorder (previously known as manic depression) has often been misdiagnosed as depression, many patients have had a difficult if not impossible task of understanding and managing this condition. WHY AM I UP, WHY AM I DOWN explores the nature of this illness, including who is at risk and where to get help. In simple terms, this often complex and devastating condition becomes comprehensible and hopefully manageable.

For readers looking for basic information regarding the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder, WHY AM I UP, WHY AM I DOWN is a useful resource. All the practical information one needs to begin education oneself is concisely presented in a question/answer format that reads quickly. However, readers expecting information beyond the basics will be well advised to continue their search elsewhere. There is little here for those who wish to live successfully with the illness. Moreover, the dry, clinical tone lends an air of bleakness, failing to recognize the large number of people diagnosed as bipolar that live healthy, successfully lives. Nevertheless, for readers seeking a beginner's understanding of mental illness and a guide through the morass of finding help, WHY AM I UP, WHY AM I DOWN will provide the practical advise needed to make a start.