The Bottom Line
By Russ Federman, Ph.D., and J. Anderson Thomson, Jr., M.D.; 160 pages. Subtitle: "The Young Adult's Guide to Dealing With Bipolar Disorder."
A child's diagnosis is a project for parents, but when a diagnosis comes just at the time when a young adult is branching off into college plans and new jobs and roommates and independent living, Mom and Dad have a lot less control. Passing a book like this to your young person may be the best way to help out when you can't take over.
Pros
- Discusses bipolar disorder in a frank and nonjudgmental way
- Offers case studies intended to let readers know they're not alone
- Addresses many practical issues that come with managing mental health while seeking independence
- Helps young people high-school age and up understand what's happening to them
- Information may be more acceptable coming from these impartial authors than a parent
Cons
- If you're looking for a book for parents, this isn't it
- Could have used more extensive reference list of helpful books and websites
- An index would also have been helpful
Description
- Chapter 1: What Is Bipolar Disorder and How Can You Tell If You Have It?
- Chapter 2: Getting Help
- Chapter 3: How Do You Accept All This?
- Chapter 4: What You Can Do: The Four S's of Bipolar Stability
- Chapter 5: How Open Can You Be About Your Disorder?
- Chapter 6: Managing Your Independence
- Chapter 7: Looking Forward
- Appendix A: Internet Resources
- Appendix B: Using the Sleep, Mood, and Energy Chart
- References
Guide Review - Book Review: Facing Bipolar
My job here is to review books for parents of children with special needs. I give my most enthusiastic reviews to books that tell a parent what's going on with their child and what, right now, they can do about it. Sometimes, though, I'll read a book intended for a different audience -- professionals, maybe, or adults with disabilities -- in the hope of gaining some perspective and finding things parents may be able to adjust or learn from in their quest to parent more effectively.
Facing Bipolar falls into that category. It is not a book for parents, even of parents of young adults with bipolar. At no point does it address caretakers or suggest ways that its material can be adapted for other situations. It speaks directly and compassionately to young adults dealing with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and only to them. In no way do I mean that as a criticism -- it's a book that does just what it says it's going to do, and does an important job well.
As such, it's more of a book for a parent to buy and pass on to a young adult than to spend much time reading. It might be worth a skim to recognize some of the issues your adult child will be facing and going through, and to understand behavior from the point of view of people with bipolar disorder. But because, at this age, action needs to be taken and sustained by the young person and not the parents, it is at best a bystander's guide.
