This comprehensive guide offers straight talk that can help people wit h bipolar disorder take charge of their illness and reclaim their live s. It is filled with practical self-assessment and self-management str ategies from a compassionate professional who knows what works. The bo ok helps individuals and family members come to terms with the diagnos is; recognize early warning signs of manic or depressive episodes; cop e with mood triggers, medication problems, and family and work issues; and learn to collaborate effectively with doctors and therapists. Abo ve all, it supplies proven tools to help readers reach toward achievin g balance without sacrificing their right to a rich and varied emotion al life.

David J. Miklowitz, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he has been a faculty member since 1989. His research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the MacArthur Foundation, and recognized with awards from the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, among others. The author of over 90 journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Miklowitz is the coauthor (with Michael G. Goldstein) of Bipolar Disorder: A Family-Focused Treatment Approach, which won the 1998 Outstanding Research Publication Award from the American Association for Marital and Family Therapy.