Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability

By Julie A. Fast and John D. Preston

Book Overview

Revised and updated, this important book offers a groundbreaking, comprehensive program to help those with bipolar disorder--and those who care about them--gain permanent control over their lives.

Most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder are sent home with the name of a doctor and a bag of medications. However, only 20% of those with the illness are able to gain long term control over their lives with medication alone. Now, bipolar disorder expert Julie A. Fast, who was diagnosed with the illness at age 31, and specialist John Preston, Psy.D., have developed an effective program that helps readers promote stability, reduce the risk of suicide, increase work ability, decrease health care costs, and improve relationships. The book guides those with bipolar disorder and their loved ones toward a comprehensive personal treatment plan by incorporating: medications and supplements lifestyle changes behavior modifications guidelines on assembling an effective support team.
By helping readers gather these powerful resources, TAKE CHARGE OF BIPOLAR DISORDER delivers a dynamic program to treat this dangerous, but ultimately manageable illness.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446697613
• ISBN13: 9780446697613
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Balance
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great book!

This is a great book for those who suffer from bipolar illness and their friends and family. Actually, it is a workbook that encourages the bipolar person to write down, for instance, what their bipolar triggers are and then to share these triggers with family and friends so that they can recognize and call them to the bipolar person's attention in a helpful way. Julie coaches friends and family members on how to communicate appropriaately rather than reacting to the bipolar person. I would strongly encourage people suffering from bipolar illness and their friends and family members to purchase a copy of this book by Julie Fast.

Take charge of your life

I am a big fan of Julie Fast. This book was so helpful and inspiring. I have read many books on Bipolar Disorder and Julie Fast has always been the one I credit for really helping me get control back of my life. As a person living with bipolar disorder I would recomend this book 100%, It is not just for people living with Bipolar Disorder though it has also helped many family members. I would strongly recomend Julie Fasts other book for family members Loving Someone With Bipolar Disorder. I would also recomend Julie Fasts health cards and her books Bipolar Happens, and Tips for Talking with Health Care Professionals from her website [..] I love that all of her writtings come from her personal experience with Bipolar Disorder and from her loving someone with the disorder. Thank you Julie Fast for another extremely helpful coping tool.