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Title: Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Bipolar Disorder (Adolescent Mental Health Initiative)
ISBN: 0195309057
Author:
Patrick E. Jamieson
Publicate Date: 2006-08-15
Publish: 2006-08-15
List Price: $9.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $2.88
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $2.44
Amazon Merchant Price: $9.95
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| Customer Review: |
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1: well written and interesting....
This book is a well-written and interesting first person account of the coming of age of a teenager with bipolar disorder. It is the best book I've seen that describes what what mania and depression feels like. It discusses all the pertinent topics, drugs, depression, mania, suicidal feelings and hospitalization, including why one would be hospitalized and what it is like being in hospital. The author talks about all these things as he has experienced them, which is the chief strength of the book. I would recommend this book for anyone who is bipolar and for the family and friends of people who are bipolar. It is very well done.
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2: Excellent resource on bipolar disorder in adolescence
This is a book about bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depression. For those who might not know, bipolar disorder is a moderate to severe emotional problem that features both periods of severe depression and periods of mania, which is a mood-state that features racing thoughts, high energy level, risk-taking, sometimes bizarre over-estimation of one's own abilities, decreased sleep, decreased appetite, and a sense of elation that has nothing to do with one's surroundings (i.e., you feel extremely happy for no reason). Everyone has changes in their moods but, for people who experience bipolar disorder, the mood-swings are extreme, can last for long periods of time, and are not connected to any valid reason.
Patrick Jamieson is a research psychologist involved with a large project trying to help adolescents with different emotional disorders. Also, as a teenager, Patrick Jamieson began having episodes of significant depression, interspersed with manic and mixed episodes, along with some healthier periods. He took his personal experience and his academic knowledge, combined them, and wrote "Mind Race: A firsthand account of one teenager's experience with bipolar disorder". This book is aimed as a help to adolescents experiencing bipolar disorder, along with their families and everyone involved in the lives of teenagers experiencing bipolar disorder.
The author provides chapters describing his own experience as a teenager experiencing the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of bipolar disorder; a detailed description of bipolar disorder from the professional standpoint; the different forms of help available for adolescents with bipolar disorder; a description of what a psychiatric hospital stay can be like; separating the disorder from the person who experiences it; and how people who have bipolar disorder can be successful.
Patrick Jamieson does a good job of blending his personal experience with a book designed to describe bipolar disorder. He both provides a clear picture of what the symptoms of bipolar disorder are, as well as the internal perspective of what it is like to live through both the depressive and the manic episodes of bipolar disorder.
The book has two main strengths. First of all, for a book that is under two hundred pages, there is a tremendous amount of information here, and most of it agrees with what I know about bipolar disorder (I am a psychologist in a clinic for children and adolescents, and bipolar disorder is not uncommon in our client population). The information provided in the book includes the different types of psychotherapy available, the medications often used to treat bipolar disorder, and an excellent list of agencies and websites and book that can be helpful to teenagers with bipolar disorder, as well as to their families.
The second strength of the book is its perspective or voice. Hearing this information is one thing, but it comes across differently, in a more realistic manner, and with more power, when the information comes from someone who has experienced it. It is one thing to say, "I am going to tell you about bipolar disorder," but is something else to hear, "I am going to tell you what it is like to have bipolar disorder."
I also have two concerns about this book. First, when the author describes the different medications available to treat bipolar disorder, there is a strong emphasis on lithium and Depakote. Those were the first two main medications used to treat bipolar disorder, and they are still used often. In the agency where I work, though, our psychiatrists have shifted away from prescribing lithium and Depakote for adolescents with bipolar disorder, in favor of the newer anticonvulsant medications, like Trileptal or Lamictal. They have concerns about the possible side effects of Depakote when it is prescribed to children and teenagers. The newer medications were described in the book, but I would have liked to see more emphasis on these medications. From seeing the response of the clients, these newer medications do seem quite effective, and with few side-effects.
My second concern has to do with the reading level of the book. I think that a sixteen-year-old, who is an avid reader and bright, can handle this book. However, a sixteen-year-old who is not a good reader, is going to struggle. This book is designed for adolescents with bipolar disorder, so that they can understand better what they are going through. Given the reading level of the book, that will not happen with many clients.
Despite its flaws, this is a very informative book about bipolar disorder, and how it is experienced in adolescence.
An excellent companion book to this would be Survival Strategies For Parenting Children With Bipolar Disorder (Higher Education Policy).
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3: a fantastic read
A well-written and thoroughly enjoyable book. I enjoyed the anecdotal aspects of Patrick's story, and would have actually preferred more of this. Some readers may be expecting this to have been written by a fifteen-year-old, given the title, but it's clearly stated on the cover that he has a PhD. The book covers a lot of ground in a highly entertaining, creative, and informative manner. Readers will learn a lot about bipolar disorder in this concise book. Paul Fitzgerald, author of: Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health
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4: what is it like to be biploar?
As a professional, I am always on the alert to find books that educate me, my clients, and their families. When a family member can have an experience of reading a similar account of what their loved one who is afflicted with that illness cannot say to them directly, it can build a bridge of understanding that weeks of family therapy may not be able to do. Understanding may not fix a situation, but it can open a window of compassion. This book does that and is quite readable as well - accurate, funny, poignant, and real. I highly recommend it.
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5: A must have for spouses, co-workers, friends
A wonderful, easy to understand, first person narrative about coming to grips with bi-polar disorder. It was eye opening to read about what it is like to have bi-polar - especially from the perspective of a young person. Whether you are diagnosed or are the friend, spouse or co-worker of one who is dealing with bipolar, this book will help you learn how to navigate through the highs and lows. It is also very encouraging to know that that this young man learned how to manage his disease and succeed in life. There is hope.
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