Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Bipolar Disorder

[SERIES COPY] New to the Adolscent Mental Health Initiative series are books written specifically for teens and adolescents. Each book addresses some of the major mental health issues facing young people today: depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. Tey will be written for and by young people who have struggled with and conquered these illnesses themselves. Supplementing this first-person narrative with the scholarship and expertise of leading psychiatrists and psychologists, the authors will provide such essential information as how to go about getting a diagnosis, what the latest treatment options are, and how to cope with mental illness at home and at school. Using this unique combination of personal narrative and cutting-edge research, these books are designed to help teens adn young adults deal effectively with these illnesses and to empower them and their families to act immediately and wisely and getting the best available treatment possible.

The life of a person with bipolar disorder can be tumultuous. Imagine living in a world divided into many parts: one is fast-paced, frantic, energetic--you are at the top of your game and feeling invincible; another is so bleak and dark that even the simple task of going to the store requires Herculean effort. Now imagine a third: going about your daily routing when another manifestation, the mixed state, combines these symptoms simultaneously. This is just a glimpse into the world of a person with bipolar disorder
Many people diagnosed with this disorder are adolescents: young people who often feel isolated, unsure of who to talk to, or where to turn for help or answers. Having been diagnosed with the disorder at age fifteen, Patrick Jamieson knows firsthand the highs and lows and bring his experiences to bear in Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Bipolar DisorderR, the first in the Annenberg Mental Health Initiative series written specifically for teenagers and young adults. Mind Race is a first-person account, aimed at teens who have recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, informative in a compassionate, good-humored, yet authoritative manner. Jamieson discusses his own challenges and triumphs, and offers advice on dealing with developing symptoms such as how to recognize the beginning of a mood shift. In accessible language, he presents the latest in scientific research on the disorder, treatment options, and how to cope with side effects of different medications. He includes a detailed F.A.Q. that answers the questions a newly diagnosed adolescent is likely to have, and also offers suggestions on how to communicate with friends and family about the bipolar experience.
With Mind Race, Jamieson offers hope to teens and young adults living with bipolar disorder, helping them to navigate and overcome their challenges so they can lead a full and rewarding life.

Patrick Jamieson, PH.D., is Associate Director of the Adolescent Risk Communication Institute of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the series editor of the 12-book Annenberg Mental Health Initiative (AMHI) trade series of books for parents and teens. Moira Rynn, M.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Director of the Mood and Anxiety Disorder Program and of the Child and Adolescent Research Service (CAReS) at the University of Pennsylvania.