A book review of Calming the Bipolar Storm: a Guide for Patients and Their Families by Robert Fawcett
Stars: ****
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (2021)
Mental Health>Bipolar
216 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: Calming the Bipolar Storm: A Guide for Patients and Their Families is for people with bipolar disorder, and anyone who loves or cares for them. This work captures the rapidly advancing research and treatment strategies in the field of bipolar disorders.
Discussing causes, presentation, onset, course, and treatments, the book encourages bipolar persons to set a healthy baseline, outlining five areas that promote good overall health in support of their particular circumstances: diet, exercise, sleep, avoiding substance misuse, and finding social support.
In this context, Robert G. Fawcett discusses specific medications and their side effects, offering comparisons among them where possible. He describes other biological treatments such as herbs and supplements, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), bright light treatment, and sleep deprivation. A discussion of psychotherapies for bipolar includes not only some of the evidence-based treatments such as cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal and social rhythm, and family-focused therapies, but also supportive therapy, which is what patients most commonly encounter.
Drawing from the author’s experience treating patients with bipolar disorder for more than forty years Calming the Bipolar Storm presents an in-depth, engaging overview of bipolar disorder and its treatment, punctuated with case vignettes and interesting glimpses into the history behind today’s concept of bipolar disorder and its treatments. Readers, both sufferers and their families, will come away with a better understanding of bipolar disorder and a clearer path to better treatment.
Calming the Bipolar Storm
As a Bipolar person I have read a lot about Bipolar. This is a good book for those who want to take an active role in understanding their illness and knowing what the different ways are to treat it. If you’d rather just be told what to take and do, this book isn’t for you. If however you are interested in learning about the different types of Bipolar and the different types of medications, this book is very thorough.
The beginning of the book seems like it’s for those who know nothing about Bipolar because it talks about the symptoms. However the rest of the book is more in-depth. If this is your first time reading about Bipolar, I would choose a different book. However if you know the basics and want to know more, this is a good choice. If you are already familiar with the different types, treatments and medications though, you may find you already know the subject matter.
I personally find it important to fully understand your illness and it’s possible treatments. So I recommend this book.
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