Product Description
When a person loves someone with bipolar disorder, life can be very stressful. From medication troubles to a partner's mood swings the demands on a partner can be intense. Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder takes a unique and practical approach to these issues. Written by an author who has bipolar disorder (and who lived with a partner who also has bipolar disorder) and a coauthor with over ten books on the topic of mental illness, the book offers specific, practical and realistic tips on how a couple can work together as a team to create a treatment plan that teaches them to live with the illness while still maintaining a loving and joyful relationship. (Though this book is written for couples, friends and family members can use the techniques in the book as well.) Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder provides hope and encourages couples to work together to create a plan they can use to help stabilize bipolar disorder so that their relationship can focus on love and companionship instead of the illness. Chapters include ideas on how to create a comprehensive treatment plan that incorporates medications and supplements, diet, exercise and behavior and lifestyle changes into one practical approach to this very serious illness. The partner of a person with bipolar disorder learns about communicating with their partner when they're ill, getting real about the situation and how to take on other roles in healing besides caretaking. Other specific topics include work and money, emotions, sexual issues and much more. The goal of the book is to help couples create a relationship that is based on support and prevention instead of constant crisis control.

Amazon.com Review
Julie Fast and John Preston have written a ground breaking book for couples who want to prevent manic depressive disorder from hijacking their relationship. Fast, a health writer diagnosed with bipolar illness and clinical psychologist Preston are ideal companions. Their innovative ideas will be welcomed by exhausted partners of "bipolar individuals"--whose illness can cause them to alternate between manic and depressed behavior. Once medication has been prescribed, the key is studying the specific ways your partner is effected. This allows couples to develop pro-active strategies for treating and stabilizing mood swings and symptoms, before they develop into full-blown crises. The techniques emphasize prevention, rather than putting out fires. These include understanding the difference between the person and the disease (know when "the bipolar disorder is talking") listing your partner's specific symptoms, identifying the triggers that lead to these symptoms and transforming the "bipolar conversation" The goal of all the tools is to pinpoint early warning signs of a manic or depressive episode and be prepared with a holistic treatment plan. Other segments of the book deal with the work (checkered resumes) and financial problems (spending sprees) created by this illness. The author's ideas are engaging, compassionate and realistic--an oasis of relief and hope. --Barbara Mackoff

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 69 reviews)

Very Informative by Kelli Stripling

5 Stars
October 08, 2009
I have recently fallen head over heels in love with a man who suffers from bipolar disorder. I have done some research on BD over the past year because I have been involved with the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research (www.seancostellofund.org), but nothing could have prepared me for being in a relationship with someone with this disorder. After a bad episode, I went online to see if I could find some guidance and I was led to this book. Wow! This book has really opened my eyes and helped me to learn different techniques to help my boyfriend when his symptoms start. I recommend this book for anyone who has a partner with BD. It will help you to cope with the mood swings.

A Frightening Book by A fan of books

1 Stars
July 15, 2009
My husband and I both read through parts of this book, and it left both of us feeling helpless and depressed. According to this book, I, as the healthy spouse, should be responsible for EVERYTHING in our relationship - all the cleaning, making sure my husband takes his meds, being the strong one all the time, never being angry or upset. That just isn't reality. In fact this book basically says "life ain't fair to the person married to a bipolar spouse so suck it up." That is absolutely UNTRUE. After reading this book my husband says "see, this book says that household chores can stress me out, so I'm not going to do them anymore." Yeah, that's helpful! We're trying to help my husband become a person who can better deal with life and manage responsibilities - and all this book does is enable those with bipolar to be completely dependent on another person. Watch out if you're paying money to a therapist - this book can undo months of hard work! This could be ok for the Susie homemaker who can clean and cook all day long, and put up with manias without becoming flustered - but for all those spouses in the real world this book is a dud.

Great personal accounts and insight by A. White (Arkansas, USA)

5 Stars
May 22, 2009
I have many years experience working with people with this disorder and this book did more for me than all my years of college and experience on the job. It opened my eyes to what I had been missing and some things I used to blame on the person instead of seeing the behaviors, words or reactivity as a part of a large puzzle directly influenced and often controlled by this disorder. This book gives readers hope. It provides insight into the thoughts, feelings, and interpretations of situations by someone who has bipolar disorder. The authors acknowledge the difficulties, struggles, and set-backs often seen with this disorder. It gives the reader and their partner (when they are ready and able) a starting point and a process to find what works for them and in their lives. The book promotes basic understanding of symptoms, how to recognize triggers when they first appear and what has worked to minimize or offset the downhill spiral of symptoms that takes over the person. I highly recommend this for anyone who has a loved one who has bipolar disorder.

Like a day-to-day journal of my life... by William Gentry (chicago, IL)

5 Stars
April 14, 2009
Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder Read this after ending 3 year relationship with bipolar "mate"...wish I'd read it after the first year as I had no idea what I was up against or what bi-polar is all about...this read like a journal of my life for the prior year or so when things had really gotten crazy...wrist slashing incident(s), violence against me, incredibly outlandish behavior every 2-3 days...and the horrible mood swings from mile-deep depression to super- high highs...and nothing in between. For those of you out there who like me, don't know what you're up against, this is a lifeline and a wake-up call. The most insightful text is the reccuring commentary that if your "mate" isn't taking medication, there's zero chance of anything good happening...stopping medication after the first year of the relationship and refusal to take any after things got bad was indeed the single factor that doomed our relationship as well as the quality of life for the person suffering with bi-polar. If you're with someone who exhibits symptoms, read this book...it will save you alot of pain...or...in some cases, will lead to getting help that may preserve the relationship.

One Clinician's Perspective by Luis Esquilin Jr. (Brooklyn, New York USA)

3 Stars
April 12, 2009
"Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder" is a great book from the perspective of both knowing more about this particular disorder as a clinician and seeing it from the perspective of a family member who lives with a loved one that has the disorder. The work uses clear language, easily understandable and it resonates with people that want to genuinely understand more about the disorder without getting overly clinical as in the DSM-4 TR2000 (the bible for mental health practitioners on disorders). I believe it is a great buy as a supplemental piece clinically, not the single source on the disorder and is quite informative.

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