The Up And Down Life: The Truth About Bipolar Disorder--the Good, the Bad, and the Funny

by Paul E. Jones, Andrea Thompson

Overview

A fresh, honest, and practical guide to living with bipolar disorder.

Paul Jones, a stand-up comedian and workshop leader who suffers from bipolar disorder, uses humor, honesty, and hard-won practical advice to dispel the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and shed light on the challenges of living with bipolar disorder.

Offering an intimate view of life with bipolar disorder—including the most common mistakes bipolar individuals make and how to avoid them— and covering every aspect from diagnosis, social life, home life, and career, this is an accessible and engaging guide from someone who’s been there and can help readers cope and thrive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440638572
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/06/2008
Series:	Lynn Sonberg Books
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	287 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Andrea Thompson is a freelance writer.

Table of Contents

Foreword   Stephen Winhusen, M.D.     vii
Introduction     xi
"You Move from the Dark into the Light": Getting on the Path to Getting Better     1
"Like a Seesaw Being Pushed by Some Giant, Crazy Hand": What It Feels Like to Have Bipolar Disorder     11
"Is This What Was Wrong with My Uncle?": Family Connections, Predispositions, and Other Vulnerabilities     33
"Finally, It All Made Sense": Reaching a Diagnosis     47
"I Have to Say, the Meds Saved Me": Prescription Medications and Their Benefits, and Staying Medicated     75
"Nobody but You Can Keep You Well": Staying Motivated, and Taking Your Bipolar Pulse     107
"We're in This Together": Living with Someone Who's Living with Bipolar Disorder     143
"You Have to Educate": What Family, Friends, Bosses, and Coworkers Need to Know (or Not)     175
"I Burned a Lot of Bridges": Making Peace with Your Past and Repairing Damage     205
Afterword: "A Blessing in a Really Big Disguise!"     225
Resources     229
Suggested Reading     235
Acknowledgments     238

Editorial Reviews

Since 2003, when stand-up comic and musician/songwriter Jones was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, his mission and passion in life have been to educate others suffering from the condition as well as those who treat and love them. Here, together with freelance writer Thompson, he tells his story, also including the experiences of others with bipolar disorder and solid clinical information on diagnosis and treatment. All this helpful material is organized into a logical sequence of chapters covering such topics as what it feels like to be bipolar, how to stay motivated throughout the experience, and how to inform employers about the illness. The web resources and list of suggested supplemental reading add further value to a heartfelt, highly personal story to which anyone affected by the illness can relate. The author's straightforward, often humorous, and always practical style makes this more deserving of attention than celebrity-authored works on depression, e.g., Patty Duke's A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic Depressive Illness and Jane Pauley's Skywriting: A Life Out of the Blue. Highly recommended for all public libraries and academic libraries supporting the helping professions. [Visit the author online at www.paulejones.com.-Ed.]
—Dale Farris

Library Journal