Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner - Softcover

Fast, Julie A.; Preston PsyD ABPP, John D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1572243422 ISBN 13: 9781572243422

Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, 2004

Synopsis

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder is a first of its kind book—written specifically for the partner of a person with bipolar disorder. If you have a loved one with bipolar, you know how disruptive and straining this disorder can be to your relationship. You may experience feelings of fear, loss, and anxiety as well as a constant uncertainly about your loved one’s ever-changing moods.

This book is designed to help you overcome the unique challenges of loving someone with bipolar disorder. With the supportive and helpful information, strategies, and real-life examples contained here, you’ll have all the tools you need to create a loving, healthy, and close relationship.

Find out how to:

• Identify which coping approaches work and which do not
• Recognize and transform a “bipolar conversation”
• Use new strategies to help manage episodic crises
• Survive the financial turbulence manic spending may cause
• Deal with problematic sexual issues Increase closeness and stability in your relationship

About this title

Review

Julie Fast and John Preston have written a ground breaking book for couples who want to prevent manic depressive disorder from hijacking their relationship. Fast, a health writer diagnosed with bipolar illness and clinical psychologist Preston are ideal companions. Their innovative ideas will be welcomed by exhausted partners of "bipolar individuals"--whose illness can cause them to alternate between manic and depressed behavior. Once medication has been prescribed, the key is studying the specific ways your partner is effected. This allows couples to develop pro-active strategies for treating and stabilizing mood swings and symptoms, before they develop into full-blown crises. The techniques emphasize prevention, rather than putting out fires. These include understanding the difference between the person and the disease (know when "the bipolar disorder is talking") listing your partner's specific symptoms, identifying the triggers that lead to these symptoms and transforming the "bipolar conversation" The goal of all the tools is to pinpoint early warning signs of a manic or depressive episode and be prepared with a holistic treatment plan. Other segments of the book deal with the work (checkered resumes) and financial problems (spending sprees) created by this illness. The author's ideas are engaging, compassionate and realistic--an oasis of relief and hope. --Barbara Mackoff

From the Publisher

New studies estimate that 5% of the world's population has some form of bipolar disorder. This is a much higher number than originally thought. Many of the people with the illness have a significant other who is also impacted by the illness. This book is the first of its kind: written to the partner of someone with bipolar disorder and designed to mend strained relationships. Through the tools offered in the book, readers learn how to control episodic crises and discover how to create a loving, healthy, and supportive relationship with a person who has bipolar disorder.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1572243422
• ISBN 13: 9781572243422
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224