Excerpts

Table of Contents

Part 1 The Big Questions

1. How Do Know That I Have a Bipolar Spectrum Disorder?

Understanding the Diagnosis

2. Is It Really BSD?

Common Diagnostic Dilemmas

3. If I’m Taking My Medication, Why Do I Feel Bad Again?

The Importance of Ongoing Assessment of Symptoms

4. What Exactly Is Going On?

Some Background on the Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder

5. Do I Have to Take My Meds?

The Role of Medications in Managing BSD

Part 2 Problems and Solutions

6. I Just Don’t Feel Like It

The Effects of BSD on Motivation

7. I Just Want Things to Go Back to the Way They Were

The Effects of BSD on Your Motivation to Recover

8. I Don’t Know Where to Begin

Setting Goals with BSD

9. My Mood Affects Everything I Do

How Mood Regulation Affects Your Functioning

10. I Thought I Was Smart, but I Just Can’t Perform

The Role of Information-Processing Problems

11. Just When I Felt OK, I Got Sick Again

The Dangers of Relapse

Excerpts From The Book

About the Book

Part I provides you with up-to-date information on BSD. The chapters show you how to find yourself in the diagnostic criteria and share the latest information on the neurobiology of BSD and on the currently available medical treatments.

Part 2 addresses the effects of BSD on your life. The chapters illustrate the specific ways in which problems in information processing and mood regulation affect your ability to get started and stay focused, to feel comfortable around people, and to stay well. We provide tools you can use to counter these problems.

How to Use This Book

For a quick stat to symptom management. Up front, in Part 1, we provide a lot of detailed information about BSD. If you want to get practical very quickly, you might want to read Chapter 1 to make sure you understand your diagnosis……

As a guide to understanding BSD. If you want more detailed information about the disorder, then we recommend that you read through the entire book from start to finish. Chapters 1,2,3,6 and 7 can be particularly helpful for family members and friends. ”

As a way to start a conversation with your doctor and your family. You may not identify with every case example in this book. We include stories from patients with different disorders along the bipolar spectrum. But you can use these examples as a way to start a conversation with your doctor or your family members, even if the conversation starts, “I don’t feel exactly like that, but I do feel……”