Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for You and Your Loved Ones (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

The vital resource for people with bipolar disorder and their loved ones, completely updated.

Compassionate and comprehensive, Dr. Francis Mondimore's pathbreaking guide has helped thousands of people and their loved ones cope with bipolar disorder. Now in its fourth edition, Bipolar Disorder has been totally revised and reorganized to reflect the dramatic improvements in the treatment of the illness, as well as the numerous scientific breakthroughs that have improved our understanding of its causes.

With insight and sensitivity, Dr. Mondimore makes complex medical concepts easy to understand and describes what it is like for people to live with bipolar disorder. He also

• surveys new medications for treating bipolar disorder, exploring the benefits and potential side effects of each, as well as provides an advance look at investigational drugs
• examines older medications such as ketamine that were originally developed for other uses that have been repurposed to treat bipolar disorder
• reviews the scientific studies that back up claims for recommended botanicals and nutritional supplements, such as omega-3s and NAC, and tells you which ones to leave on the shelf
• expands the chapter on brain stimulation treatments to include new transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) devices and techniques such as "deep TMS" and "theta-burst TMS," as well as new details about vagal nerve stimulation
• describes the emerging field of pharmacogenomics: the science of using a patient's genetic profile to improve the selection and dosing of medications
• examines the important relationship between bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder (BPD) while discussing why one or the other diagnosis is often overlooked in persons who have both
• lays out recommended lifestyle changes and practical approaches to managing the illness better, planning for emergencies, building a support system, dealing with insurance and legal issues, and defining the role of the family

For those interested in the scientific underpinnings of how treatments work, a section called "What Causes Bipolar Disorder" has been added. As a bonus, Dr. Mondimore discusses the role that talk therapy, including newer specialized forms of cognitive behavioral therapy as well as family-focused therapy, can play in managing the disorder. Bipolar Disorder is exhaustive and detailed, discussing every aspect of the illness: diagnosis, treatments, causes, special considerations for children and youth, women with the diagnosis, and the challenge of co-occurring addiction.