A Family's First Guide : Bipolar Disorder (Paperback)

When a loved one is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the entire family feels the impact. From denial and misinformation - to anxiety about everything from the cost of treatment to the safety and harmony of life at home - it's hard to know where to start. Now A Family's First Guide: Bipolar Disorder uses a workbook format to empower you to support your loved one - and everyone in your family.

Ready-to-use tools and positive coping strategies for topics that include:
* Different types of bipolar disorder, including dual diagnosis

* How to help therapists help your loved one

* What to do when your loved one (or family members) are in denial

* Who belongs on the support teams you create for your loved one and for yourself

* Ways to address reckless, impulsive behavior

* Early warning signs of mania and depression

* What to do in a crisis

* From emergency to stability - understanding the treatment plan

* Common bipolar medications: costs, effects, side effects

* What insurance will and will not cover (and how to reduce medication costs)

* Ways to reduce your loved one's risk of suicide

* How to ease bipolar's impact on family finances

* Ways to help your loved one self-monitor

* How to keep family members' roles and responsibilities in healthy balance

Practical, real-world guidance from counselors with decades of experience helping bipolar patients and their families.

Rhonda Bolton is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 30 years of experience as a Registered Nurse with certification in psychiatric mental health nursing. Stan Bolton is a Licensed Professional Counselor with 40 years of clinical experience, including over 30 years in Community Mental Health Services. The book includes exercises they've used in practice to help families work through the emotional, financial and caregiving demands of bipolar disorder.

REVIEWS

As a practicing psychiatrist in an emergency setting, I am often the first person to talk to patients and their families about a new diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and to witness the anxiety, misinformation, and reactions that come with it. That first conversation never answers all the questions, and it definitely doesn't address the biggest question loved ones eventually ask: "What can we do?" That's why A Family's First Guide: Bipolar Disorder is an invaluable resource for patients with bipolar disorder and their families. More than just information, it gives families real structure and guidelines for action so helpful in a time of uncertainty. This concise book goes way beyond brochure materials, providing clarity for families newly facing the large volume of misinformation surrounding this controversial but very real disease.

Dr. Charles Davis, Psychiatrist - Hickory, North Carolina

Finding out that someone you love has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder can feel overwhelming. You want to help, but you don't know where to start. A Family's First Guide: Bipolar Disorder is the place to start! This book provides a well-organized overview of things you need to know and do, along with a list of resources of where to get more in-depth information. As a psychologist who has worked in the mental health field for over 40 years, I found this book offered specific coping strategies for the person with bipolar disorder, as well as their family, and provides an entire range of forms designed to help set goals and track necessary information to assist with treatment planning. This is an excellent resource for both the person with bipolar disorder and especially for their family.

Gary S. Indenbaum, Ph.D. - Licensed Psychologist