Bipolar

It is estimated that as many as fifty percent of patients initially diagnosed with major Unipolar depression (UP, MDD) will subsequently incur a manic episode or discover a past subtle episode and will have had Bipolar depression rather than MDD. The average Bipolar individual suffers with episodic symptoms for ten years before receiving an accurate diagnosis. As many as 16 million individuals in the United States will have a Bipolar episode in their lives, diagnosed or not. With the recognition of these growing numbers of patients with a Bipolar Disorder, it is imperative that patients are diagnosed and treated earlier, accurately and efficiently. Untreated Bipolar usually gets worse.

Bipolar aims to improve recognition, acceptance, and compliance. Dr. C. Raymond Lake applies two different approaches , comprehensive research and case studies, to the understanding of Bipolar Disorders, presenting basic, selected Bipolar data including history, diagnostic criteria, definitions of terms, and classifications, as well as management and treatment strategies to help the reader fully comprehend the disorder. In addition, case studies provide the reader with real-life examples to help increase recognition of various Bipolar presentations beyond the stark black-and-white diagnostic criteria of the DSM and ICD.

• Explains differences between Bipolar and Unipolar Disorders
• Provides crucial information on psychotherapy and mood-stabilizing medications as treatment options
• Demonstrates diagnostic interviewing for physicians and patients
• Discusses differential diagnoses for Bipolar
• Includes difficult-to-diagnose case studies of various presentations in Bipolar

Researchers and graduate students in psychology studying bipolar disorder. Psychologists and psychiatrists treating patients with bipolar disorder

1. Introduction and chapter summaries
2. The mood disorders; bipolar versus unipolar
3. Bipolar is a bonafide scientifically based neurological disease of the brain with a 2000 year history
4. Underrecognition: non-classic presentations: stigma and guilt cause failure to recognize and accept; the disaster of a missed diagnosis
5. Functional psychoses explained by psychotic mood disorders; psychotic mood disorders are disorders of thought and mood
6. A damaged brain selective attention filter aids in the understanding of psychotic bipolar thought
7. Is it a bipolar disorder?; bipolar is misdiagnosed; the differential diagnoses for bipolar
8. Difficult-to-diagnose case studies demonstrating wide variations in presentations
9. The initial diagnostic interview for physicians and patients
10. What to do if you or a loved one is diagnosed with bipolar, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder; how to manage the chaos
11. What to expect in treatment; psychotherapy and mood stabilizing medications
12. Conclusions and future considerations