(Part 3) Top products from r/bipolar

Zero caffeine, zero alcohol, heathy diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, a loving relationship, plus (in my case) meditation. - but I am far from following my own advice at present. : (

As far as books go:

[Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania] (http://www.amazon.com/Electroboy-Memoir-Mania-Andy-Behrman/dp/0375503587) by Andy Behrman

[Madness: A Bipolar Life] (http://www.amazon.com/Madness-Bipolar-Life-Marya-Hornbacher/dp/0547237804) by Marya Hornbacher

I binged out self-help books about ten years ago. I was trying to outrun the disease at the time.



The most helpful thing I found was having a job I enjoyed, This beat anything else including years of talk therapy (which didn't really work with my condition)

Everyone is different, what speaks to one person is irrelevant to another. I quite like the Desiderata

/u/eirelav09 /u/brigadierNasty

I struggle with this too. Most of us here have been diagnosed with ADHD and attention disorders, including myself. Finding the ability to focus often involves a lot of self discipline. I personally believe that our phones and shit contribute to our weak attention spans. Just do like 10 pages today, 11 tomorrow, 12 the next day, etc.

Do it for yourself. Your future self will be grateful. Here are some good books to help you on your journey to better health:

https://www.amazon.com/Hardwiring-Happiness-Science-Contentment-Confidence/dp/0385347332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538822946&sr=8-1&keywords=hardwiring+happiness%2C+rick+hanson

https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Eight-Week-Finding-Peace-Frantic/dp/1609618955/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1538822965&sr=8-3&keywords=mindfulness

https://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Mindfulness-Practical-Tessa-Watt/dp/1848312555/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538823015&sr=8-1&keywords=mindfulness+a+practical+guide+tessa+watt

think positive.

TOXO! That's what got me started on this line of speculation. A friend of mine tested positive when she was pregnant and it was a very difficult decision whether or not to continue the pregnancy. The baby seemed OK but until recently the boy was still living at home, well into his 30s so I wonder....

The first book I read on the subject had a chapter on toxo and how it altered the behavior of rats. That got me to thinking, if the behavior of rats could be altered, why not the behavior of humans?

Since then, research has indicated - early stages - that it does alter the behavior of those humans who are infected.

There wasn't much to read about the subject in 1987 but now I see articles regularly on the subject. Still early days, though.

It is also interesting the the eponymous New Guinea tapeworm is on the verge of eradication, thanks, in large part, to former President Carter.

https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Lithium-Love-Losing-Mind/dp/0399574492

This is the book I’m referring to. You’re obviously not on lithium but it will give your parents insight on drugs for bipolar disorder.

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/largest-study-its-kind-implicates-gene-abnormalities-bipolar-disorder

Here is a very comprehensive study that will give you insight as well. It highlights the importance of NON drug treatment and a solid support system

I highly recommend reading The Miracle of Mindfulness.

It's not complicated and quite concise.
And the Kindle version is only $3, which I can send over if you PM me your email :)

you're not alone.

books that have helped me: http://www.amazon.com/Somebody-Around-Insider-Secrets-Hired/dp/0312373341

Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them by Cynthia Shapiro
Link: http://amzn.com/B003K15PC4

No one will ever tell you they have an issue with you. No one likes confrontation and they figure if you don't know the imaginary, unofficial rules of Corporate America, then you don't belong there anyway.

HR is not there for you. HR is there to keep the company from getting sued. Makes friends with someone and ask them to give you honest feedback about how you behave/come across and any insider tips on the culture at the office. It's the only way to survive.

I've never been at a job more than a couple years. Edit: mostly because I don't do politics and butt kissing and get so bored I stop doing my job.

Firstly, if your school has counsellors that deal with mental illness and the like, get in touch with them and let them know you're going through a depressive phase right now. Let people around you know that you're not feeling well and that you're not really coping right now.

I get into those pits where I just don't want to do anything and I would much prefer to wallow in bed but at the end of the day I force myself to do things. I guess like you're forcing yourself to go to school, you really should try and force yourself to go to the gym. Exercise is really helpful for depression as many of us know and I know how hard it is to get to the gym and just do something especially when you don't want to. When I do force myself to go I often feel better afterwards.

Find someone to talk to daily that has the time for you. Do you have any close friends that could help support you through this?

One book that I got a lot out of when I was going through my darkest depression days was called Do One Thing Different. I would do little things each day that were different than the day before.

Remember, this place is here for you. If you ever need to vent or talk to someone outside of posting on the subreddit, hit up our inboxes! Mine's always open. Just remember to be a little gentler and not so hard on yourself right now (hugs).

I recently read Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me by Ellen Forney which I really enjoyed. She is a cartoonist and wrote a graphic novel depicting her struggle to accept her diagnosis at age 30 even though bipolar disorder was clearly affecting her life. I liked it a lot because it was funny and really focused on her thought process which was interesting, though it is aimed a broader audience so there is a lot of introductory stuff that someone with the disorder would already know.

Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression is also quite good. It's a collection of something like 25 essays about depression/bipolar disorder. They didn't all click with me, but the ones that did hit really hard and I keep going back to them. I also like that there is a variety of perspectives. It is mostly written by people with mental illnesses, but there are a couple of times where you finish one essay and the next one is written by that person's husband or sister. Another example, they have the story of a woman who decided to continue her medication through pregnancy and one who stopped, and both have the opportunity to explain their decision and the consequences.

watching touched with fire,the film about two bipolar poets.Reading divine mania : https://www.amazon.com/Divine-Mania-Alteration-Consciousness-Ancient/dp/1138298115/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

im not even bipolar,just manic sometimes.

This one looks good

https://www.amazon.com/Circadian-Optics-Therapy-Spectrum-Minimalist/dp/B075H39NDL/ref=sxin_4_ac_d_rm?ac_md=0-0-bGlnaHQgdGhlcmFweQ%3D%3D-ac_d_rm&keywords=light+therapy&pd_rd_i=B075H39NDL&pd_rd_r=308e7ba5-33ac-49b4-9836-20953efcfc63&pd_rd_w=KMFnz&pd_rd_wg=yCcp4&pf_rd_p=6d29ef56-fc35-411a-8a8e-7114f01518f7&pf_rd_r=C7CXF0XN73GVA42J1HR7&psc=1&qid=1574208666

I like this one because it is above your eyes, but less well-reviewed than the above

https://www.amazon.com/Gooseneck-Daylight-Personal-Upgraded-Insomnia/dp/B07Y9YHDHF/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=light%2Btherapy%2Babove%2Beyes&qid=1574208790&sr=8-4&th=1

More expensive one

https://www.amazon.com/Carex-Day-Light-Classic-Bright-Therapy/dp/B00PCN4UVU/ref=sr_1_4?crid=ZHT467JNPWEA&keywords=carex+light+therapy+lamp&qid=1574208892&sprefix=carex+light%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0743225503/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484683362&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=not+just+friends&dpPl=1&dpID=41n9%2BCBFBbL&ref=plSrch

I hope that works for you. Otherwise search Amazon for "not just friends" and it is the first one that comes up.

You ever heard of mental shielding. Helps a little.

http://www.amazon.ca/Personal-Shielding-Deflect-Hostility-Cassette/dp/0963412620

Her response to the furore today:
"@Philippa_Perry: Thanks for all your tweets and letting me know what you thought of last night's doc. Here is some further reading http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pharmageddon-David-Healy/dp/0520275764"
Anti meds much?

Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness by William Styron is my go-to book for describing depression to normal folks. It's short and accurate.

Your post reminded me of reading Caitlín R. Kiernan's: "The Drowning Girl", whose main character is also obsessing over numbers. It's very good, but also a bit scary:

https://www.amazon.com/Drowning-Girl-Caitlin-R-Kiernan/dp/0451464168/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

As much as I hate labels, I exhibit most, if not all of the symptoms of BPD and Bipolar as well; although I'm fully functioning. Is your group program a Cognitive Behavior Therapy program? I've never personally been through it, but I've heard it can really, really help with the black and white thinking that comes with BPD.

I've been on Lithium. The first couple of days it made me feel like I was stoned (lol), and I experienced some burning sensations in my face and limbs - but when it came to stabilizing mood, I never really saw a difference. It could've been a dosage problem, I'm not sure. Meds affect everybody's brain differently, though, so it might be worth a shot if you feel there are no other alternatives!

I really recommend reading:

Stop Walking on Eggshells (http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Walking-Eggshells-Borderline-Personality/dp/1572246901/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330732823&sr=8-1)

and I Hate You, Don't Leave Me (http://www.amazon.com/Hate-You--Dont-Leave-Understanding-Personality/dp/0399536213/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330732852&sr=1-1)

1. The Bipolar Book: History, Neurobiology and Treatment
   
2. Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression, 2nd Edition
   
3. Behavioral Neurobiology of Bipolar Disorder and its Treatment
   
4. Genetics of Bipolar Disorder

This book helped me understand depression.

It frames depression as weather. A force that comes and goes and something we can let pass.

It's not an intuitive way of approaching depression. However, it really helped me manage it. I stopped fighting against it and started seeing it as something that I could wait out.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Depression-Book-Opportunity-Spiritual/dp/096362556X

I hate Scientology and all they stand for, but I also hate how any position they hold has become strong evidence that the position is worthy of ridicule, and that all critics believe in aliens.

It's given the pharmaceutical and psychiatric industry the opportunity to deride criticism of drugs as nonsense that arose from members of a deeply unpopular cult, rather than criticism that arose from their own research.

Such as this study, in which researchers note that “in the era prior to pharmacotherapy, poor outcome in mania was considered a relatively rare occurrence . . . however, modern outcome studies have found that a majority of bipolar patients evidence high rates of functional impairment.” In their discussion of this deterioration in outcomes, they concluded that “medication-induced changes” may be at least partly responsible. Antidepressants may cause a “worsening of the course of illness,” (which is supported by many other studies) while the antipsychotics may lead to more “depressive episodes” and “lower functional recovery rates.” Drug side effects, they added, may “explain the cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder patients.” Or this study where Harvard researchers observe that “prognosis for bipolar disorder was once considered relatively favorable, but contemporary findings suggest that disability and poor outcomes are prevalent.” They note that “neuropharmacological-neurotoxic factors” might be causing “cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder patients.”

Scientologists also opposed lobotomies back when they were the standard and even if they did so for the wrong reasons I'm sure most people here would agree with that stance and would not volunteer to be lobotomized.

I highly recommend this book if you want to get a look at the 50 years of history and research that my doctor never informed me of when I was put on anti-depressants and anti-psychotics.