The Bottom Line
By Demitri Papolos, M.D., and Janice Papolos; 474 pages. Subtitle: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder
The classic book on early-onset bipolar disorder has added more than 22,000 words for its third edition, encompassing new treatments, new research, and new laws. Remaining the same is the reassuring, non-alarmist tone and practical advice about an often alarming and befuddling disorder. If you're looking to learn everything you can, it's a lifesaving resource.
Pros
- Comprehensive look at all the issues facing families of bipolar kids
- For the most part, text is clear and accessible
- Includes hard-won perspectives from parents
- Provides thorough information about possible medications
- Update includes changes in special education law
Cons
- Updates make a long book even longer
- Information on the possible causes gets into a lot more science than some readers may want
- May work best as a book to skip around in, and dip in to what you need
Description
- Part I: Diagnosis and Treatment
Chapter 1: Voices from the Front - Chapter 2: The Diagnostic Dilemma
Chapter 3: How to Find Good Treatment - Chapter 4: Prescriptions for Treatment
Chapter 5: The Genetic Aspects of Bipolar Disorder - Part II: Inside the Brain and Mind
Chapter 6: The Psychological Dimensions
Chapter 7: What Causes This Condition? - Part III: Living and Coping With Bipolar Disorder
Chapter 8: The Impact on the Family - Chapter 9: School: A Child's World Beyond Home
Chapter 10: The Neuropsychological Testing of a Bipolar Child - Chapter 11: Navigating the Shoals of Adolescence
Chapter 12: When a Child Is Hospitalized
Chapter 13: The Insurance Maze - Part IV: Life Goes On
Chapter 14: Agenda for the Future - The Bipolar Child Questionnaire
- Resources, Appendix, Bibliography, Index
Guide Review - Book Review: The Bipolar Child
It's hard to overstate how incredibly comprehensive The Bipolar Child is. There's at least a couple of good books in this single volume -- one on practical aspects of raising a bipolar child, maybe, and one on treatments and research and brain science. There's a school primer and a hospitalization advisory, a medication textbook and an insurance guide. It's like a library between two covers, and maybe a little intimidating because of it.
There's only so much you can take in on one pass of a work like this, and my brain shut down during Part II, which throws a lot of science around. But the tone is generally agreeable and caring, and while the structure is somewhat haphazard, it's easy enough to drop in on the sections you need at any given time. Clearly, the authors care about the families they're writing for, and want them to be successful, with every kind of information at their fingertips. Depending on whether you're trying to learn all there is to know about your child's disorder, or just trying to live through the week, you can choose to read cover to cover or trouble spot to trouble spot.
Much of the content of this book is informed by the input of parents on e-mail lists, and of those who responded to earlier editions. Quotes throughout the text share personal points of view on what it's like to be bipolar, to parent a bipolar child, and to be a sibling in the bipolar war zone. As parents and professionals keep developing new ways to help affected children, future editions will likely keep evolving to share that lifesaving wisdom. Keep some space open on your bookshelf. A big space.
From the About guides to Bipolar Disorder:
