Bipolar Disorder

Compassionate and comprehensive, Dr. Francis Mondimore's pathbreaking guide has helped thousands of people and their loved ones cope with bipolar disorder. Now in its fourth edition, Bipolar Disorder has been totally revised and reorganized to reflect dramatic improvements in the treatment of the illness, as well as numerous scientific breakthroughs that have increased our understanding of its causes.

With insight and sensitivity, Dr. Mondimore
- surveys new medications for treating bipolar disorder, including ketamine, exploring the benefits and potential side effects
- reviews the scientific studies that back up claims for recommended botanicals and nutritional supplements, such as omega-3s and NAC, and tells you which ones to leave on the shelf
- expands the chapter on brain stimulation treatments to include new transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) devices and techniques such as "deep TMS" and "theta-burst TMS," as well as new details about vagal nerve stimulation
- describes the emerging field of pharmacogenomics: the science of using a patient's genetic profile to improve the selection and dosing of medications
- examines the important relationship between bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder while discussing why one or the other diagnosis is often overlooked in persons who have both
- lays out recommended lifestyle changes and practical approaches to managing the illness better, planning for emergencies, building a support system, dealing with insurance and legal issues, and defining the role of the family

A section called "What Causes Bipolar Disorder" has been added to this new edition. Dr. Mondimore also discusses the role that talk therapy, including specialized forms of cognitive behavioral therapy and family-focused therapy, can play in managing the disorder. Throughout the book, Dr. Mondimore has added sidebars on fascinating details about the history of this disorder and its treatment.

"The author is a psychiatrist who specializes in depression and bipolar disorder, for which the right mixture of medications is difficult to achieve. This fourth edition features updated discussions of older therapies and added material on newer ones--vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and intravenous infusion of ketamine/esketamine--and a new chapter comparing bipolar disorder with borderline personality disorder"--
Francis Mark Mondimore, M.D., is a psychiatrist on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Mood Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. His books include Borderline Personality Disorder: New Reasons for Hope; Depression, the Mood Disease; and Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, all published by Johns Hopkins.

"A 'must' for both health and general-interest collections, this organizes and presents information in a format professionals and lay readers can equally use."

--Midwest Book Review

"A concise guide to bipolar disorders. Written in a nontechnical jargon, this guide is ideal for patients and their families who wish to gain an understanding of bipolar disorders... Offers advice on how to live with the disorder, and how not to become its victim."

--Large Print Reviews

"An excellent book for patients with bipolar illness... It gives patients and their families enough information without being overwhelming and overly technical. The tone is practical but compassionate toward patients and family members suffering through this difficult illness. Good resource sections provide more extensive reading and online data. I would highly recommend this book."

--Doody's Review Service

"An excellent guide to a painful and difficult yet treatable illness. Dr. Mondimore's outstanding abilities as clinician and teacher are put to good use in this indispensable book."

--Kay Redfield Jamison, PhD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, author of An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

"An excellent guide to both counseling and drug options."

--Library Bookwatch

"Exhaustive, scientific, yet compassionate... An absolute gold mine for those with the disorder and their families: thorough, candid, and up-to-date advice, full of new possibilities for help."

--Kirkus Reviews

"I highly recommend it for patients and their family members and friends as an enlightened, pragmatic, and empathic resource for this very complex and challenging illness."

--Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

"In the author's eyes, the purpose is to save lives. His vivid approach with real-life examples provides a glimpse into the everyday struggles of people who live with bipolar disorder, as well as their families and friends."

--Alyson Myers, MD "Doody's Review Service "

"The marvel of this book is its ability to present information in a detailed, understandable manner, while avoiding pitfalls of being overly weighted in professional jargon or skimpy in specific neurological and behavioral detail."

--Journal of Psychosomatic Research