Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families, and Providers (Hardcover)

by E. Fuller Torrey (Author), Michael B. Knable (Author) "Manic-depressive illness, like other severe psychiatric disorders, has come out of the closet..." (more)
Key Phrases: other severe psychiatric disorders, schizoafective disorder, mental illness professionals, United States, Patty Duke, Kay Jamison (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If knowing one's enemy is key to surviving a prolonged encounter, then Surviving Manic Depression should prove essential reading to those who suffer from this brain disease's horrific highs and lows. Having immersed themselves in the topic, E. Fuller Torrey, M.D., and Michael B. Knable, D.O., offer a comprehensive resource for those afflicted with--or responsible for treating--manic depression. Unfortunately, a surprisingly small amount of data exists regarding its prevalence, and existing studies show conflicting results.

Torrey and Knable's emphasis on dissecting all that is known about the disease clearly indicates that "survival" entails neither escape nor eradication; rather, it requires a lifelong pledge to undertake an effective course of treatment. The first step: learning every suspected cause, symptom, risk factor, and treatment strategy. Sprinkled among statistic-laden paragraphs, touches of empathy arrive via articulate quotations from sufferers including Patty Duke and Kay Jamison. But the crux of Torrey and Knable's work is its compilation of all the informative bits and pieces readers need to build an effective action plan. Most helpful are the chapters that address special problems (including alcohol and drug abuse, violent behavior, medication noncompliance, and the seduction of mania); and their no-holds-barred reviews of books, selected Web sites, and videotapes. --Liane Thomas

From Publishers Weekly
A lucid, thorough guide to every aspect of living with bipolar disorder, Surviving Manic Depression: A Manual on Bipolar Disorder for Patients, Families and Providers covers symptoms, treatment and advocacy. E. Fuller Torrey (Surviving Schizophrenia), psychiatry professor and Treatment Advocacy Center president, and psychiatry instructor Michael B. Knable explain what mania and depression feel like from the inside, the causes and risk factors, the range of possible medications and treatments, and 10 special problems for manic depressives like alcohol abuse and medical noncompliance. There's also a section on bipolar disorder in children and a list of frequently asked questions. This is a valuable resource for anyone touched by the illness.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465086632
• ISBN-13: 978-0465086634
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,050 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extremely important book, July 12, 2002

By	Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a book I wish no one had to read, but for those of us who have a loved one suffering from manic depression, this is the absolutely essential read. There are some parts of it, concerning various studies and statistics, which aren't really germane to what we, as family members, need to know about the illness, but the bulk of the work is tremendously helpful. We are given the symptoms of the illness, in all of its varied forms, and quite importantly, the current medications are thoroughly discussed, with all of their helps and hindrances, including side effects and interactions with other drugs. It's not an easy book to read, but I don't mean that in the comprehension sense: in that way, anyone can read and understand. It's just that manic depression is such a terrible illness, not only on the person who has it, but on all those around that person who love him or her and try to be helpful. When you read some of the small case studies, and also learn about some of the very tragic situations for those afflicted, sometime you just want to close the book and cry for awhile. However you get through this book, it's essential that you do, for it can only improve everyone's understanding of this illness, and hopefully enable the rest of us to cope with, and love unequivocally, our ill family member. More than any drug or treatment, I truly believe that love and unconditional care from us is essestial. It's not a cure, but it will help.

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than you expect, November 20, 2002

By A Customer

The title does this book justice. Manic Depression afflicts more than a million and may affect as many as 3,000,000 people in the US alone. With that many suffering, there is no dearth of literature on this subject.

Yet most of the information prior even to the early 1990's is dated and obtuse. There is much confusion in the earlier literature between schizophrenia and bipolar. It is now understood that bipolar disorders are chemical deficiencies in the brain and can largely be controled by medications and that the patients can achieve normalcy. That's where this book is so valuable. Just published in 2002, it reviews the most recent meds and their side effects. Someone suffering with this condition needs to know this stuff. Moreover there is comprehensive information for those suffering from clinical depression and other disorders that medications frequently can help.

And that's my final remark on this wealth of information. That's why it lives up to its title. This book helps the patient and her/his family to cope. As with meds, the patients learn their life problems never really go away, but how they deal with them improves.

After reading this book, both patients and those who interact with them will be enriched in their comprehension and better able to adapt to the bipolar condition.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must read for anyone who suffers or knows someone who does, October 13, 2002

By	yorkshirewrose (kendall park, nj USA) - See all my reviews

I just got this book yesterday from Amazon. To say its the best, most salient book on the subject I have ever read- well I cannot do it justice.

I have read almost every book on this subject, since I am afflicted by it. It is very well written, moe for the lay person, than the medical establishment. I've learned more about this from this book than any other book I have read. And it is written not only for people who are manic depressive, but those who love us.

It's pretty much a must read, and should be read by everyone who either suffers from it, or knows a loved one who does.