Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need to Know – Understanding the Spectrum and Reclaiming Your Life

by John McManamy

Seven years ago, John McManamy was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Through his successful Web site and newsletter, he has turned his struggles into a lifelong dedication to helping others battling depression and bipolar disorder reclaim their lives. In Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder , he brilliantly blends the knowledge of leading expert authorities with the experiences of his fellow patients, as well as his own, and offers extensive information With a compassionate and eloquent voice, McManamy describes his belief that depression is a wide spectrum that reaches from occasional bouts of depression to full-fledged bipolar disorder. The first book to help patients recognize this diversity of the disorder, Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder will help sufferers begin to reclaim their lives.

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

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

Reviews

[Irishcoda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read Living Well With Depression & Bipolar Disorder: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need To Know by John McManamy so that I could learn not only more about my own depression but also about Heidi. Her doctor has told me that she is bipolar and I don't doubt it. I sort of suspect that my mother was or is too and as I read the book, it crossed my mind that I have some of the symptoms. But that might just be my own hypochondria, who knows?

The author has bipolar and so I found the book to be especially insightful. He has a website and a newsletter called McMan's Depression and Bipolar Weekly. I'm definitely subscribing to it.

Some things that I learned:

Unipolar and bipolar depressions are so closely linked the only thing that seems to separate them is an episode of hypomania. So, in other words, if you don't have any of those symptoms at the time you see a doctor and if you don't think to tell the physician about other behaviors and issues, the diagnosis is unipolar depression. I think psychiatrists ask more about the other symptoms now (like irritability) than they used to but even still...for instance, Heidi's doctor said irritability is considered "mania" in a teenager. But what about in an adult?

What about a person (like me) who cycles up to a state of feeling all right before spiralling down, someone who doesn't go up so high?

I was surprised to read about a study that links bipolar disorder with panic attack syndrome.

McManamy explained the differences between types of depression and bipolar. This was particularly insightful for me:

To me, bipolar disorder is the equivalent of being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in a race car.



The biology and chemistry of it all is harder to understand but I got my highlighter out and marked the book so I can refer back whenever I need to.

I found the book to be a very valuable read.

[Mary Hodgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful read!

The personal accounts of sufferers (and their families) are particularly poignant.

Comprehensive coverage of treatments available are plentiful along with sound advice on diet, exercise and lifestyle.

An excellent book for sufferers of depression and/or bipolar to learn more about the many facets of the illness. The fact that the author is himself diagnosed with bipolar adds extra kudos to discussions on treatment and coping skills.

I would also recommend this book to the families and loved ones of sufferers to aid greater understanding of a complex disorder. Knowledge is power and with a concerted effort from all affected, there is no reason why people with depression and bipolar can’t live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure how much help this book will be - I think I will just skip the bipolar section, as it does not apply to me. I liked the "Living Well" part of the title, so I got it out of the library. But I am always leery of books with subtitles like, "What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You". So, we'll see how I like this book. I'm approaching it with a grain of salt. Not sure if that is a proper use of metaphor or not...

Didn't finish the book, and didn't find too much helpful about it. I wish GoodReads had a Bookshelf/Tag for "never finished". :-)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is derived from the wealth of knowledge gained from John McManamy's web-site, www.mcmanweb.com
It was an valuable tool for me when I was diagnosed and learning how to manage the illness.
Written from U.S.A. perspective and resources.

[BeerDiablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an OK book for supplemental reading if you're trying to understand someone in your life that is ill. There is quite a bit of padding with stats and personal accounts.

[Emily Holz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I expected, but still a good book.

[Dawn Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book and I love Johns dedication.