Jon P. Bloch - The Everything Health Guide To Adult Bipolar Disorder: Reassuring Advice to Help You Cope

THE EVERYTHING HEALTH GUIDE TO ADULT BIPOLAR DISORDER

Reassuring advice to help you cope

Jon P. Bloch, Ph.D. with Technical Review by Jeffrey A. Naser, M.D.

Copyright 2006, F+W Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.

Everything and everything.com are registered trademarks of F+W Publications, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company 57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322 U.S.A. www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-585-0 (paperback)

ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-341-7 (EPUB)

ISBN 10: 1-59337-585-9

Printed in the United States of America.

J I H G F E D C

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bloch, Jon P.

The everything health guide to adult bipolar disorder : reassuring advice to help you cope / Jon Bloch.

p. cm. (An everything series book)

ISBN 1-59337-585-9

ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-341-7 (EPUB)

1. Manic-depressive illness Popular works. 2. Manic-depressive illness Treatment Popular works. 3. Depression, Mental Popular works. I. Title. II. Series: Everything series.

RC516.B55 2006

616.895 dc22

2005033626

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

All the examples and dialogues used in this book are fictional and have been created by the author to illustrate disciplinary situations.

THE HEALTH GUIDE TO Adult Bipolar Disorder

Dear Reader,

Bipolar disorder affects the lives of millions of people. Whether you are bipolar yourself, know someone who is, or are simply are curious to know more about it, I hope you will find this book a helpful and informative resource.

In many ways, writing this book was like a juggling act. Professionals will verify the extreme importance of staying on medication and the tragic consequences that can occur when patients do not. This can make the disorder seem like a very grave affliction. But at the same time, there is strong reason for hope and optimism found in the bipolar people who live normal and fulfilling lives. In fact, there are many bipolar people who achieve fame and fortune and who make a real contribution to society.

If the message of this book had to be summarized in a single phrase, it would be: Stay on medication. But hopefully, this guide will inform bipolar people and their loved ones about a wide range of issues regarding the disorder and impact their lives in a positive way.

Dedication

To all the people I have known who live outside the box.

Welcome to THE HEALTH GUIDES

When you're faced with a pressing health issue, your first instinct is to find out as much about it as you can. With so much conflicting information out there, where can you turn for professional, supportive advice?

Packed with the most recent, up-to-date data, THE EVERYTHING HEALTH GUIDES help ensure that you get a good diagnosis, choose the best doctor, and find the right medical treatment. With this one comprehensive resource, you and your family members have all the information you could possibly need at your fingertips.

THE EVERYTHING HEALTH GUIDES are an extension of the best-selling Everything series in the health category, which also includes The Everything Diabetes Book and The Everything Menopause Book. Accessible and easy to read, THE EVERYTHING HEALTH GUIDES provide specific details and clear examples that relate to your given medical situation. If you're looking for one-stop, all-inclusive guides that allow you to understand and become more in tune with your body, this groundbreaking series is the perfect tool for you.

Visit the entire Everything series at www.everything.com

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Kate Burgo at Adams Media, and to my agent, June Clark, at Peter Rubie Literary Agency.

Contents

Introduction

The first question to ask is, what exactly is bipolar disorder? You probably know that it has something to do with mood swings.But if that was all there was to it, everyone would be bipolar, because everyone experiences shifts of mood. A key word to remember about bipolar disorder is extreme. It is not just mood swings, but extreme mood swings. And extreme means going beyond what is normal or reasonable. People who have bipolar disorder go from a state of mania, or extreme high, to depression, or extreme low.

Moreover and this is important major life events are not required to trigger these mood extremes. Someone can shift from high to low (manic to depressed) over seemingly nothing. The shifts themselves can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few months. These manic and depressive moods affect the individual in three important ways: energy level, thought, and behavior.

Energy-wise, someone can seem to be the most high-strung, frenetic person in the world one moment, and the most lethargic and despondent the next. Basic aspects of life that most people take for granted such as eating, sleeping, getting tired, or feeling refreshed become major issues for the bipolar person. Given these extreme shifts in energy, it is not surprising that thought would likewise be affected. Seemingly from out of nowhere, the bipolar person might decide that everyone is for or against them, and that they themselves are either the greatest person who ever lived or the worst. Furthermore, since action follows thought,