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

Violent mood swings...suicidal feelings...unpredictable behavior...

Is your life a roller coaster of highs and lows? Do your moods vacillate between profound sadness and euphoria?

If so, you may be suffering from bipolar disorder, a complex illness that involves the mood centers of the brain and affects as many as two million Americans. Since bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as major depression, an accurate diagnosis is crucial to understanding and managing this often chronic condition. Now this sensitive, authoritative guide explains the challenging nature of bipolar disorder and how to get the right kind of treatment to minimize or prevent future episodes of this devastating illness. Find out:

What causes bipolar disorder and who is at risk
The symptoms of both manic and depressive episodes and their common triggers
How to get the very specific kind of help you need and why early diagnosis is your best bet for successful treatment
The latest facts on successfully managing bipolar disorder...why alternative therapies such as meditation and hypnotherapy can actually be dangerous to bipolar sufferers...plus news from the front lines of research

Roger Granet, M.D., F.A.P.A., has practiced psychiatry for twenty years, focusing much of his work on mood and anxiety disorders. He is clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, lecturer in psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, consulting psychiatrist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, attending psychiatrist at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell Division, and director of consultation-liaison psychiatry at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The author of numerous medical journal articles and textbook chapters and series editor for the Dell Mental Health Guides, Dr. Granet has also written essays in The New York Times, two collections of poetry, and four popular books on psychiatry: Why Am I Up, Why Am I Down?: Understanding Bipolar Disorder; If You Think You Have Panic Disorder; If You Think You Have Depression; and Is It Alzheimer's? Dr. Granet is married, with two children. He maintains a private practice in Morristown, New Jersey.

Elizabeth Ferber is a graduate of Barnard College and has a master's degree from New York University. She is an award-winning author of eight previous books including May the Circle Be Unbroken, The Vegetarian Life, and Diabetes. As a journalist, she has written dozens of articles for a variety of national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New York magazine.