Surviving manic depression : a manual on bipolar disorder for patients, families, and providers / E. Fuller Torrey and Michael B. Knable.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Preface: Manic Depression or Bipolar Disorder? -- Dimensions of Manic-Depressive Illness -- How Many People in the United States Have Manic-Depressive Illness? -- How Many People Are Being Treated? -- Do Some Groups Have More Than Others? The Hutterites and the Amish -- What Is the Prevalence of Manic-Depressive Illness in Other Countries? -- Has Manic-Depressive Illness Always Existed? -- Is Manic-Depressive Illness Increasing? -- What Is the Cost of Manic-Depressive Illness? -- The Inner World: Mania and Depression From the Inside -- Mixed States -- Awareness of Illness -- The Outer Worlds: Manic-Depressive Illness Defined -- Are Unipolar Depression and Manic-Depressive Illness One Disease or Two? -- Where Does Manic-Depressive Illness End and Normal Mood Swings Begin? -- What Is the Relationship of Manic-Depressive Illness to Schizoaffective Disorder and Schizophrenia? -- Conditions Sometimes Confused with Manic-Depressive Illness -- Mania Caused by Street Drugs -- Mania Caused by Prescription, Over-the-Counter, and Herbal medications -- Mania Caused by Infections -- Mania Caused by Head Injuries -- Mania Associated with Other Brain Disorders -- Mania Associated with Other Illnesses -- What Does Secondary Mania Tell Us About Brain Localization? -- Manic-Like Behavior in Culture-Bound Syndromes -- What Is an Adequate Diagnostic Workup? -- Risk Factors for Developing Manic-Depressive Illness -- Winter Birth -- Summer Onset -- Urban Birth -- Pregnancy and Birth Complications -- Prenatal Famine -- Prenatal Exposure to Influenza -- Severe Stressors in Childhood -- Social Class -- Onset, Course, and Outcome -- Factors Affecting Course -- Rapid Cycling and Seasonal Affective Disorder -- Outcomes and Their Predictors -- Stress as a Risk Factor for Relapse -- Causes of Death -- Causes -- Studies of Brain Structure -- Studies of Brain Function -- Genetic Studies -- Neurochemical Studies -- Studies of Infections and Immunological Factors -- Disturbances in Body Rhythms -- Endocrine Dysfunction -- Kindling and Stress -- Medications: Mood Stabilizers -- Lithium -- Valproate (Depakote, Depakene) -- Carbamazepine (Tegretol) -- Lamotrigine (Lamictal) -- Topiramate (Topamax) -- Gabapentin (Neurontin) -- Calcium Channel Blockers -- Essential Fatty Acids -- Medications: Antidepressants, Antipsychotics, and Benzodiazapines -- Antidepressants -- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) -- Burproprion and Other New Antidepressants -- Tricyclic Antidepressants -- Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) -- Stimulants -- Thyroid Supplementation -- St. John's Wort and Other Herbal Remedies -- Switch Rate -- Antipsychotics -- First-Generation, or Typical, Antipsychotics -- Second-Generation, or Atypical, Antipsychotics -- Benzodiazepines -- Medications: Treatment Strategies -- Treatments for the Different Phases of Manic-Depressive Illness -- Acute Mania -- Depression -- Rapid Cycling -- Maintenance Treatment -- Frequently Asked Questions About Medications -- Do I Really Need to Take All of These Medications? -- Do I Need to Take These Medications for the Rest of My Life? -- What If I Am Pregnant or Breast-Feeding? -- Should Treatment Be Different for the Very Old and the Very Young? -- Nonmedication Aspects of Treatment -- Finding a Good Doctor -- Building a Support Network -- Psychotherapy -- Reducing Stress -- Mood Charts -- Electroconvulsive Therapy -- Insurance Issues -- SSI and SSDI -- Manic-Depressive Illness in Children and Adolescents -- Clinical Aspects -- Diagnostic Aspects -- Treatment Aspects -- Ten Special Problems -- Concurrent Alcohol and Drug Abuse -- Assaultive and Violent Behavior -- Medication Noncompliance -- Assisted Treatment -- Homelessness -- Arrests and Jailings -- Suicide -- Sex and AIDS -- Confidentiality -- The Seduction of Mania -- Manic-Depressive Illness and Creativity -- Biographical Studies of Mental Illness in Creative People -- Studies of Psychiatric Illness in Living Artists -- Mental Illness and Creativity in Relatives -- Direct Measurements of Creativity in People with Mental Illness -- The Effects of Psychotropic Medications on Creativity -- Commonly Asked Questions -- Should I Tell People? -- What Are the Chances That Other Family Members Will Get Manic-Depressive Illness? -- How Does It Affect Family Members? -- How Does It Affect Siblings? -- How Does It Affect Spouses? -- How Does It Affect Children? -- Issues for Advocates -- Advocacy Organizations -- Scientologists, Antipsychiatrists, and "Consumer Survivors" -- Research Funding and the National Institute of Mental Health -- Stigma and Public Education -- Exemplary Individual Advocates.

Mania, Madness, Melancholy -- all terms used to describe the symptoms of manic-depressive illness, a disorder that has been chronically misunderstood and feared throughout history. In the United States today, more than two million people suffer from manic depression, and now for the first time comes a truly comprehensive, up-to-the-minute guide to all aspects of the disease, written for patients, families, and the professionals who treat them. Basing their conclusions on an exhaustive analysis of the latest scientific research, the author of the best-selling Surviving Schizophrenia joins psychologist Michael Knable to provide detailed coverage of every aspect of the disease, from symptoms and risk factors to insurance issues and the latest (still being tested) medications. Drs. Torrey and Knable also discuss special problems related to the disease, including drug and alcohol abuse, medication non-compliance, suicide, sex, and AIDS.

By providing the cold hard facts about manic depression, Torrey and Knable demystify the illness for its victims and their loved ones. Boldly confronting the lore associated with this disease and its different incarnations, Torrey and Knable separate fact from fiction, dispelling myths about the link between manic depression and prenatal exposure to influenza, for example, but providing evidence to support such ideas as the higher incidence of depression in urban areas. They give factual, non-sensationalized accounts of the disease, from patients' own words, and a detailed list of conditions often mistaken for manic-depressive illness. With special features such as a listing of selected websites, books, videotapes, and other resources, Surviving Manic Depression is the essential handbook for anyone living with manic-depressive illness.