The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder: Using DBT to Regain Control of Your Emotions and Your Life

by Sheri Van Dijk

Even if you've just been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it's likely that you've been living with it for a long time. You've probably already developed your own ways of coping with recurring depression, the consequences of manic episodes, and the constant, uncomfortable feeling that you're at the mercy of your emotions. Some of these methods may work; others might do more harm than good. The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder will help you integrate your coping skills with a new and effective dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) plan for living well with bipolar disorder. The four DBT skills you'll learn in this workbook-mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness-will help you manage your emotional ups and downs and minimize the frequency and intensity of depressive and manic episodes. By using this book in conjunction with medication and professional care, you'll soon experience relief from your bipolar symptoms and come to enjoy the calm and confident feeling of being in control. •Learn mindfulness and acceptance skills•Cope with depressive and manic episodes in healthy ways•Manage difficult emotions and impulsive urges•Maintain relationships with friends and family members

Genres: Mental Health, Psychology, Self Help, Nonfiction, Mental Illness, Medical, Reference

248 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2009

About the author

I am a psychotherapist working at Southlake Regional Health Centre and in private practice. I have a Master's degree in social work, and specialize in treating psychiatric disorders using dialectical behavior therapy and mindfulness practice.

I have written several books that help readers use DBT skills to treat emotional problems, including The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder, The Bipolar Workbook for Teens (co-author), Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens, and Calming the Emotional Storm; and am the author of DBT Made Simple, a book that aims to teach clinicians how to use DBT with their clients diagnosed with a variety of emotional problems.

I'm just putting the finishing touches on my sixth book, which teaches teens DBT skills to help them be more effective in their relationships; look for this book to be published early in 2015.

In 2010 I won the R.O. Jones Award at the Canadian Psychiatric Association Annual Conference for my research on using DBT skills in a bipolar disorder group, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in March, 2013.

Visit me at www.sherivandijk.com.

Reviews

[Sarah Nunley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great self help book. I learned a lot about DBT therapy and I graduated with a psych major! Im bipolar and I am practicing the mindfulness teachings everyday. It’s made a big different in my life.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly what it is advertised. It is a proven method of working through certain aspects of Bipolar Disorder. There are classes for this as well. I found it moderately helpful. I took a class for BPD and did a workbook for that as well and found it quite helpful. It basically helps you work through your problems or episodes when they are happening so you have a lesser chance of going manic (which is very helpful). While it does not ALWAYS work...it does, in my case, lessen the episodes and calm me down, to find better ways, either mentally or physically (it can be hard but it is doable), to help if I feel a manic episode coming or am having one...i.e. listening to music and writing down the lyrics (very tedious but it keeps your mind occupied), reading, meditating, calling someone, drawing, coloring, exercising, yoga, watching, in my case, Spongebob....things like this. Journal writing. There are all kinds of things and everyone is different. But, it's a workbook to help you find yourself. Some of it is suuuper basic if you know about Bipolar already, but there are some helpful things in there too. So, I'd definitely give it a chance. There's nothing to lose, and maybe something to gain. And that is worth it to me.

[Charise Jewell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a helpful introductory guide for someone starting to explore DBT and wanting to learn practical techniques. Not as useful for anyone with relevant knowledge/experience.

[J Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I hated this. It was patronising and surface level. The mindfulness section is nothing special, the radical acceptance section was basically insane (especially the bit where the example suggested saying 'it is what it is' about experiencing child abuse), and most of the rest was just common sense. It kept hoping to teach about the disorder but I learned nothing new. It constantly asked rhetorical questions that were totally unrelatable - the same could be said for the examples. It really had very little regard for comorbid disorders other than anxiety, had little useful discussion on processing trauma, had little to no acknowledgement of medication and side effects, and the language of the book is not trans inclusive. I was really hoping that my introduction to DBT would be useful or compelling, and it was neither. I have to question the author's understanding and experiences with bipolar. I cannot recommend this to anyone.

[Shane Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great techniques in here, which I’m gonna have to jot down for reference (ebook). A decent chunk of this book relates to things that, out of necessity of understanding my own conditions, I had to become familiar with beforehand. It reads fast when you can buckle down, now comes the work. Good stuff for me and other individuals with bipolar disorder (Type 2), even some helpful tips for family members that don’t have the disorder but live with those that do.

[Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If u want to learn about how to regulate your emotions.this is the book for you!!!

[Quinn Collard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was reasonably helpful. It said some stuff that didn't really get through to me, but it also had a fair number of ideas that seemed useful. I'm still trying them out so I can't really speak to how much it actually helps yet, but I'm hopeful.

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a workbook using Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It explains what DBT is and how you can use it in your life.

[Maria Devine Ogino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential for any therapist.