Ebook: Bipolar Disorder For Dummies

Containing key online resources and first-hand accounts from real people, this newly updated guide describes the symptoms and treatment options of bipolar disorder, offers advice on living with the illness, and covers new diagnosis methods developed by the American Psychiatric Association. --Publisher's description.;Part 4: Developing Essential Survival Skills: -- Exploring Self-Help Strategies, Therapies, And Other Supports: -- Monitoring your moods -- Charting sleep and energy levels -- Identifying stressors and triggers -- Seeking out therapy and support: -- Psychoeducation -- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) -- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) -- Interpersonal And Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT) -- Mindfulness and other centering activities -- Relationship and family therapies -- Support groups -- Making Lifestyle Adjustments: -- Cultivating a healthy home environment: -- Educating all household members -- Establishing a structured schedule -- Cranking down the volume -- Reducing conflict and criticism -- Establishing house rules -- Consider the kids -- Establishing healthy routines: -- Regulating your sleep -- Scheduling social activities -- Leaving room for spontaneity -- Building healthy relationships: -- Checking relationship vitals -- Having some fun -- Taking breaks from one another -- Relieving stress through exercise -- Serving up healthy foods: -- Cutting back on simple carbohydrates -- Powering up with protein -- Getting your fill of fruits and vegetables -- Avoiding the bad stuff -- Communicating Effectively: -- Setting the stage: -- Choosing the right time and place -- Establishing ground rules -- Watching what you say -- Expressing yourself in a positive time -- Being sensitive to posture, position, and body language -- Adding mood symptoms to the mix -- Avoiding the four big tiff-makers: -- Criticism -- Judgment -- Demand -- Blame -- Becoming less confrontational with "I" statements -- Validating other people's feelings -- Disengaging from unproductive conflicts -- Solving Problems And Resolving Conflict: -- Setting the stage for effective problem solving -- Identifying the problem -- Redefining the problem/conflict: from right versus wrong to unmet needs -- Brainstorming possible solutions -- Planning and implementing agreed-upon solutions -- Avoiding unproductive approaches -- Letting go of problems you can't solve on your own -- Planning Ahead For A Mood Episode: -- Teaming up with your care providers -- Thwarting a mood episode -- Choosing a psychiatric facility -- Documenting essential information -- Signing releases-or not: -- Release of information authorization -- Power of attorney -- Advanced directive -- Part 5: Dealing With The Fallout: -- From Hospitalization To Recovery: -- Coming to terms with hospitalization -- Knowing what to expect: -- Seeing the doctor -- Adjusting your medications -- Engaging in therapy -- Looking into restraint policies -- Exploring variations in visiting hours -- Knowing about how long you'll stay -- Getting released -- Knowing your patient rights -- Making your stay more comfortable -- Keeping your team in the loop -- Making recovery your top priority: -- Anticipating the aftershock -- Mastering the art of selfishness -- Retreating to a safe, quiet place -- Following your doctor's orders -- Reclaiming your life: -- Knowing when you're ready -- Returning to friends and family -- Getting Back To Work-Or Not: -- Reality check: are you ready? -- Getting back into the swing of things -- Disclosing your diagnosis-or not -- Weighting the pros and cons of disclosure -- Talking to supervisors and coworkers -- Requesting workplace accommodations -- Finding more suitable work: -- Dreaming up your ideal work situation -- Taking a skills and interest inventory -- Pursuing your dream job -- Is not returning to work right for you? -- Overcoming Financial Setbacks: -- Public Mental Health System: -- Surveying available resources -- Accessing local financial support -- Public systems in Canada and the UK -- Filing for disability benefits: -- Meeting the guidelines -- Improving your chances of approval -- Exploring health insurance options -- Low- or No-cost healthcare resources: -- Tracking down a university program -- Finding peer support -- Contacting religious organizations -- Prescriptions assistance programs -- Haggling with a psychiatrist or therapist -- Other ways to survive the hard times: -- Asking family and friends for help -- Finding temporary financial relief -- Government safety net programs -- Part 6: Assisting A Friend Or Relative With Dipolar Disorder: -- Supporting Your Loved One: -- Establishing the right mindset: -- Forming realistic expectations -- Disassociating the disorder from the one you love -- Learning nor to take it personally -- Nurturing a sense of empathy -- Recognizing your limitations: -- Doing what you can -- Recognizing what you can't do -- Remaining vigilant for warning signs: -- Knowing when to step in -- Knowing when to step back -- Let's make a deal: drawing up a contract -- Helping someone who refuses help: -- Taking action in an emergency -- Expressing your concerns -- Calling the doctor or therapist -- Contacting a local support group -- Contacting a local mental health center -- Seeking a court order -- Taking care of yourself -- Dealing With Crisis Situations: -- Consulting your loved one's doctor or therapist -- Discussing the emergency plan: -- Figuring out how involved to be -- Determining when to intervene -- Knowing whom to call for help -- Deciding where to go -- Responding in a crisis: -- Suicidal threats or attempts -- Aggressive behavior -- Reckless driving -- Overspending -- Hypersexual behavior -- Substance abuse -- Runaways and disappearances -- Arrests -- Backing Your Bipolar Child Or Teen: -- Recognizing the diagnostic difficulties: -- Angry kid -- Hyperactive kid -- Depressed kid -- Opposition kid -- Law-breaking kid -- Requesting a professional evaluation: -- Finding the right doctor -- Knowing what to do when seeking help -- Breaking out the treatment toolbox: -- Considering medication issues -- Understanding the diagnosis and treatment plan -- Parenting a child with bipolar disorder: -- Tending to school matters -- Practicing lifestyle management -- Recognizing suicidal red flags -- Part 7: Part Of Tens: -- Ten Questions To Ask A Psychiatrist Or Therapist: -- How much experience do you have in treating bipolar disorder? -- Is it tough to get an appointment? -- Can I contact you during a crisis? -- What's the diagnosis and how did you arrive at it? -- What's the treatment plan? -- When can I expect to feel better? -- How will I know I'm getting better? -- What should I do if I feel worse? -- What side effects should I watch for? -- Will you work with my other providers? -- Ten Tips For Managing Bipolar: -- Team up with your doctor and therapist -- Take medications as prescribed -- Regulate your sleep -- Develop daily routines -- Building mindfulness and other self-centering skills -- Clearly communicate your needs -- Avoid alcohol and stimulants -- Monitor your moods -- Identify your early warning signs -- Get help at the first sign of trouble -- Appendix: Glossary of bipolar-related terms -- Index.;Introduction: -- About this book -- Conventions used in this book --What you're not to read -- Foolish assumptions -- How this book is organized: -- Part 1: Getting To Know Bipolar Disorder -- Part 2: Taming The Bipolar Beast -- Part 3: Managing Bipolar Disorder With Meds And Other Biological Treatments -- Part 4: Developing Essential Survival Skills -- Part 5: Dealing With The Fallout -- Part 6: Assisting A Friend Or Relative With Bipolar Disorder -- Part 7: Part Of Tens -- Icons used in this book -- Where to go from here -- Part 1: Getting To Know Bipolar Disorder: -- Understanding Bipolar Disorder: Diagnosis To Recovery: -- Riding the bipolar waves: -- Seeking your elusive comfort level -- Crashing on the rocks -- Earning your bipolar badge: -- Deciding to get help -- Obtaining an accurate diagnosis -- Treating bipolar disorder inside and out: -- Treating the biological basis of bipolar -- Battling bipolar with self-help plus other therapies and supports -- Reclaiming your life: Recovery -- Supporting a friend or relative with bipolar disorder: -- Establishing the right frame of mind -- Taking action to help -- Diagnosing and treating a child or adolescent with bipolar disorder -- Demystifying Bipolar Disorder: -- Cracking open the diagnostic manuals: -- Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders -- International classification of diseases -- Characteristics of bipolar disorder: -- Major depressive episode -- Manic episode -- Hypomanic episode -- Mixed episode or features -- Psychosis-sometimes -- Many masks of bipolar disorder: -- Bipolar 1 -- Bipolar 2 -- Cyclothymic disorder -- Substance-induced bipolar disorder -- Bipolar disorder associated with another medical condition -- Bipolar NOS or NEC -- Rapid cycling -- Recognizing what bipolar is not -- Digging up the genetic roots: -- Shaking the family tree -- Susceptible, not predestined -- Examining the biochemistry of bipolar: -- Where in the brain is bipolar disorder? -- What are neurotransmitters, anyway? -- How can medications help? -- Recognizing other contributing factors -- Positive Prognosis With A Proactive Plan: -- So, Doc what's the prognosis? -- Responding proactively to bipolar disorder: -- Reacting: extinguishing the flames -- Proacting: preventing flare-ups -- Recognizing the components of an effective treatment plan: -- Medication and other biological remedies -- Self-help and lifestyle choices -- Psychotherapies and other professional counseling -- Relationship and family support -- Continuity of care -- Part 2: Taming The Bipolar Beast: -- Getting Physical: Ruling Out Other Health Issues: -- Could it be something else?: -- Singing the body blues -- Considering other culprits: medication, alcohol, and other substances -- Seeking your doctor's advice: -- What are your symptoms? -- When did your problem start? -- What makes your symptoms better or worse? -- What else should you tell the doc? -- Finally! Your physical exam -- Digger deeper with additional tests and procedures: -- Medical tests that your doctor may order -- Thyroid tests -- Other hormone tests -- Receiving a clean bill of health-now what? -- Getting A Psychiatric Evaluation And Treatment Plan: -- Finding professional help: -- Ask your family doctor -- Call your insurance company -- Pick your therapist's brain -- Go online -- Consult your support group -- What to look for in a psychiatrist -- What to bring to your first meeting: -- Why you (or others) think you need help -- More symptom information, please! -- Medical history -- Family history -- List of legal and yes illegal drugs -- Sleep log -- Arriving at a diagnosis: -- Evaluating your symptoms -- Considering other causes -- Receiving the diagnosis -- Gauging the severity of your illness -- Responding to your diagnosis -- Receiving your treatment plan -- Building A Winning Mood-Management Team: -- Head Doctor for diagnosis and medication management: -- Diagnostician -- Medicine man (or woman) -- When having a psychiatrist isn't an option -- Lifestyle director: highlighting the therapist's roles: -- Coach, trainer, and referee -- Mood monitor -- Resident soundboard -- Wellness manager -- Referral service -- When having a therapist isn't an option -- Assembling your personal support staff: family and friends: -- Building a network based on trust -- Understanding their fears, anxieties, anger, and other emotions -- Educating your supporters -- Establishing your team's level of involvement -- Encouraging open communication -- Working as a team -- Expanding your network through local support groups -- Part 3: Managing Bipolar Disorder With Meds And Other Biological Treatments: -- Touring The Bipolar Pharmacy: -- Unlocking the bipolar medicine cabinet: -- Lithium -- Anticonvulsants -- Antipsychotics -- Protein kinase C inhibitors -- Mood-boosting antidepressants -- Calming anxiolytics and sleep agents -- Bipolar psychopharmacology: -- Selecting the best medications for you -- Knowing what to expect -- Testing for med levels and health issues -- Mixing your pharmaceutical cocktail -- Juggling meds for comorbid conditions -- Coming To Terms With Medications And Their Side Effects: -- Facing your emotional reactions: -- Examining objections to taking meds -- Accepting that your reluctance is normal -- Performing a cost-benefit analysis -- Alleviating undesirable side effects: -- Tweaking your does and times -- Trying different meds in the same class -- Exploring other options -- Dealing with specific side effects -- Switching, reducing, and stopping meds -- Expanding Your Biological Treatment Options: -- Treating your moods to supplements: -- Fishing for a cure: Omega-3 fatty acids -- Pumping up your brain with vitamins and minerals -- Investigating herbs and other supplements -- Assessing the safety of all-natural ingredients -- Treating depression with light therapy -- Stimulating your brain with electricity and magnetism: -- Zapping your moods with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) -- Moderating moods with Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) -- Soothing depression with neurostimulation -- Treating Bipolar Disorder In Women And Other Specific Populations: -- Bipolar disorder in women: -- Considering the nature of the illness -- Tracing hormonal changes -- Bipolar disorder and pregnancy -- Dealing with bipolar during menopause -- Older adults and bipolar disorder: -- What's so different about older adults? -- Addressing dementia and bipolar -- Medication issues for older adults -- Accommodating cultural differences -- Bipolar in the LGBT community.;Overview: Get an accurate diagnosis and get on with enjoying and living your life! Bipolar Disorder affects many more people than just the millions who suffer from the disease. Like depression and other serious illnesses, bipolar disorder also affects spouses, partners, family members, friends, and coworkers. Bipolar Disorder For Dummies explains the brain chemistry behind the disease and covers the latest medications and therapies. You'll get reassuring, sound advice and self-help techniques that you and your loved ones, including kids and teens, can use to ease and eliminate symptoms, function in times of crisis, plan ahead for manic or depressive episodes, and feel a whole lot better. Covers new diagnosis methods developed by the American Psychiatric Association; -- Increased coverage of genetics, biochemistry, and imaging studies relevant to bipolar disorder; -- Advice on supporting a loved one (who may not want help); -- Updated and expanded medication guide and treatment options, including Deep Brain Stimulation; -- Complete with fill-in-the-blank forms and charts, key online resources, and first-hand accounts from real people, Bipolar Disorder For Dummies gives you the latest information and self-help strategies you and your loved ones need to conquer this disease and get on with your lives.