From: barry@webveranda.com (Barry Campbell) Newsgroups: soc.support.depression.manic, alt.support.depression.manic Subject: Bipolar Disorder FAQ v 1.1 (4 of 4) Date: 25 Sep 1996 15:18:04 GMT Message-ID: <barry-2509961121000001@cnc80244.concentric.net> Summary: This article contains information about Bipolar Disorder, based on contributions by readers and participants in Usenet support groups. Archive-name: support/depression/bipolar-faq/part4 Posting-Frequency: monthly BIPOLAR DISORDER FAQ 1.1 - FILE 4 OF 4 Continued from Part 3... USENET Newsgroups ----------------- The two principal newsgroups of interest to people with Bipolar Disorder are: alt.support.depression.manic (ASDM) and soc.support.depression.manic (SSDM). The following newsgroups may also be helpful and interesting: alt.support.depression alt.support.depression.seasonal alt.society.mental-health bionet.neuroscience sci.med.psychobiology sci.psychology.announce sci.psychology.consciousness sci.psychology.journals.psyche sci.psychology.journals.psycoloquy sci.psychology.misc sci.psychology.personality sci.psychology.psychotherapy sci.psychology.research sci.psychology.theory soc.support.depression.crisis soc.support.depression.family soc.support.depression.misc soc.support.depression.seasonal soc.support.depression.treatment World Wide Web Sites -------------------- The gold standard for bipolar-related Web sites is Pendulum Resources, maintained by Doug Barlow (hugman@atl.mindspring.com) and found at: http://www.mindspring.com/~hugman/pendulum Doug links to many related sites as well. Another terrific site is Dr. Ivan K. Goldberg's "Depression Central" at: http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html Both of these sites are regularly and conscientiously maintained and contain numerous outside links. ---------- 6.2 Books ---------- Q: What are some good books to read about bipolar disorder? A: Everyone has their own favorites. The ones that are most often mentioned or recommended are: "A Brilliant Madness" by Patty Duke and Dr. Gloria Hochman "An Unquiet Mind" by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison "The Depression Workbook" by Mary Ellen Copeland "Touched With Fire" by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison "Questions and Answers about Depression and Its Treatment" by Dr. Ivan Goldberg The standard medical textbook on bipolar disorder is "Manic Depressive Illness" by Frederick Goodwin and Kay Redfield Jamison. Full references for these books, and many more, can be found below. The following list of books has been derived from various sources, including Joy Ikelman's Media File. (To obtain the latest version of the Media File--a listing of books, movies, tapes, plays, and other media resources of interest to folks with bipolar disorder, send e-mail to Joy at parrot@frii.com.) ******************************************************************************* Title: A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness Author: Patty Duke (Anna Pearce) and Dr. Gloria Hochman Publisher: Bantam Books; 1992 ISBN: 0-553-07256-0 Comments: Patty Duke's very personal account of her struggle with manic-depression. Duke writes every other chapter, while Hochman writes about the more clinical aspects of manic-depression. Title: The Broken Brain: The Biological Revolution in Psychiatry Author: Nancy Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D. Publisher/Year: Harper-Perennial; 1984 ISBN: 0-060-91272-3 Comments: Scientific theories on biochemistry, brain function and biophysics of neurotransmission. Language is semi-technical but meant for the layperson. Title: A Brotherhood of Tyrants: Manic Depression and Absolute Power Authors: D. Jablow Hershman & Julian Lieb Publisher/Year: 1994 ISBN: 0-87975-888-0 Comments: The authors consider tyranny as the product of bipolar disorder (especially mania) together with ruthlessness, ambition, paranoia, and other charming qualities. The approach is interdisciplinary, combining psychiatry and history. They present biographies of the public and private lives of Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin. Title: Call Me Anna; The Autobiography of Patty Duke Author: Patty Duke (Anna Pearce) (with Kenneth Duran) Publisher/Year: Bantam Books, 1987 ISBN: 0-553-05209-9 Comments: Patty Duke's autobiography. Title: Creative Brainstorms: The Relationship Between Madness and Genius Author: Russell R. Monroe, M.D. Publisher: Irvington Publishers, Inc. 740 Broadway, NY NY 10003 ISBN: 0-8290-1769-0 Comments: Robert Lowell and Ernest Hemingway are the main persons the author uses as examples of artists with manic-depression. Others are mentioned: Ezra Pound, Mary Lamb, Virginia Woolf. Title: The Depression Workbook: A Guide for Living with Depression and Manic Depression Author: Mary Ellen Copeland Publisher: New Haringer Publications; 1992 ISBN: Comments: A detailed overview of the history, causes and treatment of mood disorders. Offers step-by-step, self-help guidance for taking responsibility for your own wellness; using charts to track and control your moods; find appropriate mental health professionals; build a support system, increase your self-confidence and self-esteem; using relaxation, diet, exercise and full-spectrum light to stabilize your moods; and avoid conditions that can exacerbate you moods swings. "An essential tool to assist people struggling with depression and mania to gain insight to actively enter a lifelong journey of healing and wellness." Title: Depression: The Mood Disease Author: Francis M. Mondimore, M.D. Publisher/Year: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990 ISBN: 0-801-83856-8 Comments: Contains-- Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment (Mood, Depression, Bipolar Disorder), Variations, Causes, and Connections, and Getting Better. From the jacket: "Dr. Mondimore's book reduces the complexities of this baffling and very common illness to terms the general reader can understand. Having been treated for manic-depression for more than ten years and considering myself something of a lay expert, I was pleasantly surprised at how much this book increased my own knowledge of the subject." --Thomas M. Posey, President, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Title: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV) Publisher/Year: Version IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994 ISBN: 0-89042-062-9 Comments: Lists all mental illnesses and diagnostic criteria and assigns a coding system. Fascinating reading. Title: The Emotional Pharmacy Author: Roberta Morgan Publisher/Year: Body Press, 1988 ISBN: 0-895-86709-5 Comments: Covers psychological problems treatable with psychoactives as well as recreationals and their affect on brain chemistry and behavior. Title: The Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs Author: Jack Gorman Publisher/Year: St. Martin's Press; 1992 ISBN: 0-312-06967-7 Comments: Discussion of psychiatric drugs, info about side effects, and practical tips, in non-technical language. Title: Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Author: David Burns, M.D. Publisher/Year: Signet; 1980 ISBN: 0-451-16776-7 Comments: Self-help cognitive therapy techniques for depression, anxiety, etc. Title: The Feeling Good Handbook Author: David D. Burns, M.D. Publisher/Year: Plume; 1989 ISBN: 0-452-26174-0 Title: Fire in the Brain: Clinical Tales of Hallucinations Author: Ronald K. Siegel Publisher/Year: E.P. Dutton, NY; 1992 ISBN: Comments: Siegel is a professor at UCLA School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Studies of various hallucinatory experiences, including sleep disorder states. Title: The Good News About Depression Author: Mark S. Gold Publisher/Year: Bantam; 1986 ISBN: 0-553-34511-7 Comments: Nontechnical discussion of depression as a biochemical illness. Title: The Good News About Panic, Anxiety and Phobias; Cures, Treatments and Solutions in the New Age of Biopsychiatry Author: Mark S. Gold, M.D. Publisher/Year: 1989 ISBN: Comments: How biological mimickers can cause psychiatric symptoms, caffeine, sunlight, OCD, medications, tests, MAO levels, etc. Lists resources by state and contains a bibliography. Title: Graedons' Best Medicine from Herbal Remedies to High- Tech Rx Breakthroughs Authors: Joe and Teresa Graedon Publisher/Year: 1991 ISBN: Comments: Very readable, nontech reference book with useful inserts on such topics as "Drug-induced Insomnia." Has separate chapters on "High Anxiety," "Mind Matters," and others. Title: How to Cope with Depression - A Complete Guide for You and Your Family Author: J. Raymond DePaulo, Jr. M.D. and Keith Russel Ablow, M.D. Publisher/Year: Ballantine Books; 1989 ISBN: 0-449-21930-5 Title: Impressive Depressives Author: Peter Nolan Lawrence Publisher/Year: 1994 ISBN: 0-95-22806-04 Comments: The author is bipolar, himself. Lawrence cites 75 bipolar people including Bach, Beethoven, Rossini, JMW Turner, Dumas, Shelley, Byron, Lincoln, Edison and the author himself. Published in aid of the (U.K.) Manic Depression Fellowship. Title: Key to Genius: Manic Depression and the Creative Life Author: D. Jablow Hershman & Julian Lieb Publisher/Year: Prometheus, 1988 ISBN: Comments: A discussion of imagination, manic depression, and a few famous people of the past as examples. Title: Listening To Prozac Author: Peter D. Kramer, M.D. Publisher/Year: Viking; 1993 ISBN: 0-670-84183-8 Comments: A psychiatrist explores some of the implications of anti- depressants, and especially of Prozac's unusual effects on the personality. Kramer also discusses the recent research on depression, as well as several other issues which seem linked to depression. Title: Lithium Encyclopedia for Clinical Practice Authors: J.W. Jefferson, J.H. Geist, D.L. Ackerman, J.A. Carroll Publisher/Year: American Psychiatric Press, Inc., Washington, DC 1987 Comments: This book addresses the action of lithium, its interaction with other drugs, its effects on other conditions, side effects, and practical advice for use. Title: The Looney Bin Trip Author: Kate Millett Publisher/Year: Simon and Schuster, NY, 1990 ISBN: 0-671-67930-9 Comments: Miller is manic depressive. She writes of her experiences in mental hospitals in the U.S. and Ireland, and of her life in setting up a woman's cooperative. Controversial reading. Title: Lost Puritan: A Life of Robert Lowell Author: Paul Mariani Publisher/Year: W.W. Norton & Co., NY, 1994 ISBN: 0-393-03661-8 Comments: A very readable biography of Robert Lowell, poet, using hundreds of Lowell's unpublished manuscripts and letters, and dozens of interviews. Fully covers Lowell's manic depressive episodes and how they affected his life. Also gives a window into treatment of manic depression in the 1950s and 60s. Title: Manic Depression: Illness or Awakening Author: Robert E. Kelly Publisher/Year: Knowledge Unlimited Publishers, 1995 Title: Manic-Depressive Illness Author: Fredrick K. Goodwin, M.D., & Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D. Publisher/Year: Oxford; 1990 ISBN: 0-195-03934-3 Comments: This is THE medical textbook for manic depression. It is technical, but excellent. Highly recommended. Title: Medicine and Mental Illness; the Use of Drugs in Psychiatry Authors: Marvin E. Lickey and Barbara Gordon Publisher/Year: W.H. Freeman & Co., NY, 1991 ISBN: 0-7167-2196-1 (soft) Comments: Provides an overview of drug therapies for varying forms of mental illness. Title: Mind, Mood, and Medicine: A Guide to the New Biopsychiatry Author: Paul H. Wender, and Donald F. Klein Publisher/Year: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, Pub., 1981 Comments: Non-technical, goes into the biological bases of psychiatric illnesses, and also treatments (as of 1981). Title: Moodswing Author: Ronald Fieve Publisher/Year: Bantam Books, 1989 (Revised) ISBN: 0-553-27983-1 Comments: A "classic." Contains information and anecdotal stories about depressives and manic depressives; by the individual who spearheaded lithium therapy. Title: 9 Highland Road Author: Michael Winerup Publisher/Year: Pantheon Books, 1994 ISBN: 0-679-40724-3 Comments: (jacket notes) "An unprecedented and riveting account of the life and lives of a group home for the mentally ill: the residents, their families, and the counselors, social workers, and psychologists which whom they work." Includes struggles with illnesses plus the struggle with bureaucracies in keeping the home alive. Excellent book for those interested in patient advocacy. Title: On the Edge of Darkness: Conversations about Conquering Depression. Author: Kathy Cronkite Publisher/Year: Doubleday; 1994 ISBN: 0-385-42194-X Comments: Features a variety of personal stories about unipolar and bipolar disorder, including those of some famous, living people. Title: Overcoming Depression Author: Dimitri F. and Janice Papolos Publisher/Year: Harper-Perennial; 1992. (revised) ISBN: 0-060-96594-0 (paper) Comments: Good basic text on the various aspects of depression and manic/depression. Considered by some to be a "classic" in the field. Title: Physicians' Desk Reference, 49th Edition (also in paperback, in condensed version) Medical Consultant: Arky, Ronald, M.D. ISBN: N/A Comments: The standard guide to prescription drugs for physicians. Usually referred to as "The PDR." An expensive, but worthwhile investment for anyone who's ever been told that ANY drug is "perfectly safe" or "without side-effects". Cross-indexed by manufacturers brand names, generic names, product identification guide, product information, and diagnostic information. A "must-have" for anyone who wishes to be an informed consumer. Title: The Pill Book Editor: Lawrence Chilnick (editor) Publisher/Year: Bantam Books, NY; (6th Edition, paperback) ISBN: 0-553-29463-6 Comments: An illustrated guide to the most-prescribed drugs in the United States. Invaluable resource. Unlike the PDR, where the information is supplied by drug manufacturers, The Pill Book has been compiled by an independent panel of doctors and researchers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Title: Questions and Answers about Depression and its Treatment Author: Dr. Ivan Goldberg Publisher/Year: The Charles Press; 1993. ISBN: ISBN 0-914783-68-8 Comments: A 112 page FAQ on depression & manic depression. Covers all aspects. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If your bookstore doesn't have this one, ask them to order it. Title: Receptors Author: Richard M. Restak, M.D. Publisher/Year: Bantam Books, NY; 1994 ISBN: NA Comments: "The author is an M.D. who also suffers from unipolar depression. Although he's not anti-med, he doesn't claim that medications will solve everything either. He writes about how our neurological receptors work and about how they affect how we feel. Although the book is detailed, it's not so technical that you need a PhD to understand what he's saying. He provides a history of how the different receptors were discovered, and also discusses how alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, heroin, cocaine, and prescription drugs effect us. One chapter is devoted to the discovery of lithium and discusses how it is used to treat people with manic depression." Title: This for Remembrance; The Autobiography of Rosemary Clooney Author: Rosemary Clooney, with Raymond Strait Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster, NY, 1977 ISBN: 0-671-16976-9 Comments: Clooney is bipolar; the first three chapters detail the manic episode which led to her hospitalization. Title: Touched with Fire: Manic-depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament Author: Kay Redfield Jamison Publisher/Year: Free Press: Maxwell Macmillan International, 1993. ISBN: 0-0291-6030-8 (cloth) 0-060-96594-0 (paper) Comments: A look at a number of 19th century poets, writers, and composers who were bipolar. Comment by Dr. James D. Watson, Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Novel laureate and author of The Double Helix: "An emphatic analysis of the creativity that emerges from a little madness and the horror from too much." Highly recommended. Title: True North: A Memoir Author: Jill Ker Conway Publisher/Year: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994 ISBN: 0-679-42099-1 Comments: A memoir that includes, in part, her learning to cope with her husband's manic-depressive disorder. Title: Understanding Depression Author: Donald Klein, M.D., and Paul Wender, M.D. (founders of the National Assn. for Depressive Illness) Publisher/Year: Oxford; 1993 ISBN: 0-195-08669-4 Comments: Melvin Sabshin, M.D., Medical Director, American Psychiatric Assn. writes: "A very good source of information that will be extraordinarily useful to patients and their families." Title: An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness Author: Kay Jamison Publisher/Year: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995 ISBN: 0-679-44374-6 Comments: Kay Jamison's autobiography. Jamison, a renowned and respected researcher in the field of manic depression, is bipolar. This small book is easily readable and recommended. Title: Waking Up, Alive Author: Richard Heckler Publisher/Year: ISBN: Comments: A recommended book about the subject of suicide. Title: The Way Up From Down Author: Priscilla Slagle, M.D. Publisher/Year: NA ISBN: 0-312-92914-5 Comments: It stresses a nutritional approach heavy on the amino acid tyrosine, and a complete vitamin supplement program. May work for people with less difficult forms of depression. Title: We Heard the Angels of Madness: One Family's Struggle with Manic Depression Authors: Diane and Lisa Berger Publisher/Year: Morrow, 1991 ISBN: 0-688-09178-4 Comments: Forwarded by Alexander Vuckovic, M.D. Written by a mother who had a son stricken by manic-depression at 19 and the rough road they walked to get him the help he needed. Title: What to do During Depression: A Reason to Live Author: Melody Beattie (General Editor). Publisher/Year: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; 1992. ISBN: 0-8423-0988-8 Comments: This is a book that explores reasons to live and reasons not to commit suicide. It also contains suggestions for life- affirming actions people can take to help themselves get through those times when they're struggling to find a reason to live. Title: What You Need to Know About Psychiatric Drugs Author: Stuart C. Yudofsky,M.D.; Robert E. Hales,M.D.; and Tom Ferguson,M.D. Publisher/Year: Ballantine; 1991 ISBN: 0-345-37334-0 Title: When the Blues Won't Go Away Author: Robert Hirschfeld, M.D. Publisher/Year: 1991 ISBN: 0-025-51825-9 Comments: Concerns new approaches to Dysthymic Disorder and other forms of chronic low-grade depression. Title: Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder and How to Overcome It. Author: Norman Rosenthal, M.D. Publisher/Year: The Guilfold Press; 1993 ISBN: 0-898-62149-6 Title: X Ray Author: Ray Davies Publisher/Year: 1995 ISBN: Comments: Tells Ray Davies own tales of his life up through the early 1970s. It is done in a semi-fictional style. Davies, a founding member of the English band The Kinks, is openly manic-depressive. Title: You Are Not Alone Author: Julia Thorne with Larry Rothstein Publisher/Year: Harper Collins; 1993 ISBN: 0-060-96977-6 Comments: The writings of depressives, for both depressives and those who need to understand them. Shervert Frazier, M.D., former director of the National Institutes of Mental Health says: "A ground breaking book that...reveals the impact of depression on the lives of everyday people. This little book is must reading for sufferers, those associated with depression, and mental health professionals" Title: You Mean I Don't Have To Feel This Way? Author: Collette Dowling Publisher/Year: Bantam Books; 1993 ISBN: 0-553-37169-X Comments: Jeffrey M. Jonas, M.D. writes: "An important book that is filled with information helpful to sufferers of mood and eating disorders and other illnesses. It should be read not only by lay people but also by professionals who deal with these illnesses." *** 6.3 Magazine and Journal Articles *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 7.0 Controversial Issues - making sense of them *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 7.1 To drug, or not to drug? *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 7.2 Should I participate in a study or other research program? *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 7.3 How do I evaluate "alternative" therapies? *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** ---------------------------------------- 7.4 The Psychiatric Survivors' Movement ----------------------------------------- The following information was supplied by David Oaks (dendron@efn.org) of the Support Coalition, and is abstracted from the Support Coalition FAQ: Since the very origins of psychiatry, psychiatric survivors have individually resisted human rights violations and sought humane alternatives. In the past 25 years, however, a small wave of diverse organized groups, networks, publications, conferences have sprung up and connected internationally. Sometimes called the "psychiatric survivors liberation movement," or the "mental health consumers movement," or even just "mad lib," you are near a gateway reaching some of the most incredible examples of sheer human survival. The sisters and brothers in our movement survived lock-ups and forced shock. Forced drugs and labels. Homelessness and solitary confinement. And yet still they have continued to resist, to remember the many killed by psychiatry. We've continued to laugh, cry, rant -- but never stay silent -- directly in the face of the 20th century's most brutal high-tech attempts at mind control. Support Coalition is an independent alliance of 30 of these grassroots groups in the USA, Canada, Europe and New Zealand. Several of Support Coalition's key leaders have been front-line grassroots activists who have kept the candle of struggle lit for over two decades. Dendron News is Support Coalition's voice. Dendron is a "madness network newspaper" that now reaches 15,000 people internationally. "Dendrites" are our electronic human rights alerts, sent out on the Internet intermittently. "Dendrite" is a free one-way low- volume Internet mailing list. To subscribe just e-mail to majordomo@efn.org with just these words in the body of your message: subscribe dendrite "Dendron" is different because it's our hard-copy NEWSPAPER. We have a web site! The URL is as follows: http://www.efn.org/~dendron There's also a free, anything-goes, for-fun mailing list on "healing normality." You can join that by e-mailing majordomo@efn.org with just these two words in the body of your message: subscribe healnorm *** 7.5 Critics of Psychiatry and Psychology *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 8.0 Is there life (and hope) after diagnosis? *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 8.1 Coping hints from readers and participants *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * *********************************************** *** 8.2 Research trends and directions *********************************************** * Section under construction - BC * ***********************************************