TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface.............................................................................................................1
Questionnaire .................................................................................................7
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: My Story: From Bipolar Illness to Bipolar Wellness............15
CHAPTER 2: What Bipolar Illness Looks Like and How to Turn It into Bipolar Wellness...................................................23
STAGE ONE: THE BODY-MIND CONNECTION
CHAPTER 3: Tolerate Your Medications..................................................39
CHAPTER 4: The Nutritional Breakthrough on the Horizon...............47
CHAPTER 5: Grow The Mid-Polar Zone With Aerobic Exercise...............81
CHAPTER 6: Eat Well, Drink Well...........................................................87
CHAPTER 7: Build Your Self-Esteem by Giving Up the Labels.................91
CHAPTER 8: Giving Up on Mania as the Ideal State and Getting Past the Fear of Depression.....................................95
CHAPTER 9: “They” Are Not The Problem............................................107
STAGE TWO: RECOVERY – AN INSIDE JOB
CHAPTER 10: Therapy: Accepting the Support You Need......................115
CHAPTER 11: Addictions.......................................................................121
CHAPTER 12: Suicide: the Preventable Option.....................................129
CHAPTER 13: Disorganization...............................................................145
STAGE THREE: CONNECTING THE DOTS WITH SUPPORT NETWORKS
CHAPTER 14: The Best Support is from Other People Struggling with Similar Problems....................................................155
CHAPTER 15: Accommodation and Handicapping...............................163
CHAPTER 16: The Issue of Disclosure: Sharing Your Truth with Friends and Others…or Not......................................................173
CHAPTER 17: Preserve Your Family and Friends by Learning Communication Skills.....................................179
STAGE FOUR: BRINGING YOUR RECOVERY INTO THE WORLD: BECOMING PROACTIVE
CHAPTER 18: Expanding the Mid-Polar Zone Through Creativity, Fun, and Spirituality.......................................................187
CHAPTER 19: Advocacy: Sometimes They are the Problem....................195
CHAPTER 20: Volunteering: Find Meaning by Helping Others.............217
BIPOLAR BASICS: INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTS
SUPPLEMENT I: Bipolar Basic Information – the Facts as We Know Them..........227
SUPPLEMENT II: Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens.......................253
SUPPLEMENT III: Accommodations for Students Academic Accommodations for Students With Psychiatric Disabilities....................................................261
SUPPLEMENT IV: Accommodations in the Workplace..............................275
SUPPLEMENT V: Americans with Disabilities Act and Mental Illness......281
SUPPLEMENT VI: National Center for Complementary and Alterative Medicine.......................................................287
