A New Guide To Understanding Bipolar Disorder Debuts In September:
“Owning Bipolar” By Author Michael Pipich, MS LFMT Clinical/Community Psychology
Provides 3-Phases Of Treatment Including Acceptance, Controlling And Lifelong Management Of The Disease.
“Owning Bipolar: How Patients and Families Can Take Control of Bipolar Disorder” is a comprehensive resource for families and patients, who are often misdiagnosed because bipolar symptoms mimic other disorders. Author Michael G. Pipich, MS LMFT (Citadel Press, September 2018, ISBN: 978-0-8065-3879-2) says, “350 million people worldwide suffer from some form of bipolar disorder but up until now there have been few books addressing the issue.” A forward to the book is written by Joseph Shrand, MD, psychiatrist and Harvard lecturer.
According to a recent study in Scandinavia, a typical patient will have gone without proper care for nearly 10 years, from the first bipolar-type mood event to specific treatment of bipolar disorder. *
In his new book, author Pipich breaks down bipolar disorder into understandable parts so patients and families know what to expect from diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management. Pipich says “knowledge is power, and grasping the basics of bipolar disorder can give you the power you need to detect it, accept it, and own the responsibility for treatment and lifelong disease management.”
Pipich advocates for a three-phase approach to treating patients with bipolar disorders that goes far beyond the usual treatment centred on “getting patients on meds and keeping them there.” The three phases are:
o Pre-stabilization and recognition: confronting the causes of bipolar and the effects, including depression, anxiety, loss of energy, avoidance of responsibilities, and suicidal thoughts
o Stabilization and action: starting effective medication, accepting the disease, and treating different types of bipolar
o Post-stabilization and acceptance: undertaking long-term maintenance, accepting a new identity, coming to terms with responsibilities, including those of caregivers
“I have seen bipolar patients become expert at their own disease, take control of it and live successfully,” Pipich says. “I’ve written Owning Bipolar because I believe that the importance of early diagnosis and patient/family understanding cannot be overestimated,” he added.