Living Well with Bipolar Disorder: Practical Strategies for Improving Your Daily Life

What does it take to achieve a successful career, healthy habits, and fulfilling relationships—even with bipolar disorder (BD)? What common stressors do you need to look out for, and how can you cope with them? No one is better suited to provide people with BD with practical problem-solving help than leading expert David J. Miklowitz. From managing mood swings to dealing with anxiety, getting enough sleep, defusing family conflicts, and troubleshooting medications, this book offers keys to effective self-care. Short, clearly formatted chapters with downloadable practical tools help you tackle challenges as they arise and plan for trouble spots that lie ahead. With Dr. Miklowitz's empowering guidance, navigate your own unique path to living well. Contents Preface Introduction Part One: Psychological Challenges: Being Your Own Ally 1 Depression: Prevention and coping strategies 2 Mania: Minimizing severity and reducing frequency 3 Coping with anxiety and worry 4 Dealing with irritability and anger 5 Protecting yourself from suicidality and self-harm Part Two: Domains of Life: Daily Routines and Stress 6 Strategies for healthy sleep 7 Effective communication with family members 8 Thriving with a partner: Dating, sex, and long-term relationships 9 Making the best use of your skills at work and school 10 Staying healthy: Physical activity 1 1 Staying healthy: Eating and nutrition 1 2 Managing alcohol and substance use Part Three: Your Treatments: Making the Most of Medications snd Therapy 13 Taking charge of your medications 14 Psychosocial treatment: Living well while maintaining mood stability Bibliography Index About the author