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Two Bipolar Chicks Guide To Survival: Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder
From the “Two Bipolar Chicks”, Wendy K. Williamson and Honora Rose, comes this survival guide disguised as a low-key, how to manual. From their wellness vaults, they compiled three decades worth of tips for you. Filled with insightful anecdotes and personal viewpoints – which can differ – Wendy and Honora steer you through the swamps of bipolar disorder and teach you how to dodge the alligators.From advice on medication, to their own, personal journeys with acceptance, you’ll pick up tips on managing depression and mania. There is plenty of factual advice and information on treatments and tidbits for the novice, the pros and everyone in between. It could be an asset to anyone navigating the bipolar waters. Two Bipolar Chicks Guide to Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder is the consummate bipolar mix of everything you’ll want - and need - inside. The most delicious part is it isn’t bogged down with scientific jargon, though they do explain what you need to know. You’ll hear more from the author you’ve grown to love and the co-author you soon will. It’s their personal insight that will make this a unique book. Divulging tidbits from manic sex and internet sites to how to not blow your life savings when in a manic episode, they blow the lid off telling it like it is. You wanted to know more and here it is! Wendy has also brought in her editor and partner Honora to double the fun. Wendy K. Williamson is the author of the best-selling, inspirational memoir I’m Not Crazy Just Bipolar. This is the book you wanted her to write more tips, more about wellness, more information. Voila! The Two Bipolar Chicks Guide To Tips for Living with Bipolar Disorder was born. You’ll receive an education about treatments, including their own experience with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). You’ll learn the importance of medication management and that not all generics or doctors were created equal. They’ll tell you how crucial little details can be from pill trays to choosing your pharmacy to locking up the credit cards when manic. Wendy and Honora will tell you what has worked - and not worked - for them. This book is designed to fill in the gaps of the scientific ones and keep you entertained so you won’t fall asleep. Wendy K. Williamson has been positively reviewed by Publisher’s Weekly and National Alliance on Mental Illness’ The Advocate. She also currently blogs for BPHope.com. Together, Wendy and Honora run The Red Bank Writers Group.www.twobipolarchicks.comwww.wendykwil...
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 14, 2014
25 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 26, 2024
Mini essay bc fun for me. Two queer women who are partners and both have bipolar! How awesome is that! Doctors and researchers may be experts on the scientific side, but these women have developed rich expertise, not accidentally, in how to manage and live with their illness. Like how to actually DO that and have it stick. And it’s just as invaluable as the scientific/genetic/biochemical etc. You can’t really realize how many knowledge gaps there are that scientific lit, psych advice, and even therapy can’t cover until you’re actually reading something like this and learning SO much more than expected.
Ok yeah just looking at the cover this book may come across as cheesy af & maybe reductive & out of touch, but it’s anything but. Its casual tone, format, and tense means that Wendy & Honora spend the whole book speaking directly TO you, at YOUR level, which is also not something possible in scientific lit. It’s super comfortable, not bogged down by jargon, only supported and enhanced by science intermittently. It’s about little things and big things. They do not dull or dim any of their experiences or methods or findings.
The book’s purpose is “how to fine tune this illness when you’re at sea level” & “fuel up” and that’s spot on. If you’re not at sea level and wanting to read this while experiencing some amount of depression, I’d recommend skipping through to sections/tips in the table of contents that feel like they could contain things that would feel good for you to hear, not like work. Most of this book won’t land while you’re depressed.
But! It sure does when you have recently come out of an episode and already achieved some amount of stability, and it’s incredibly useful. In that case I also recommend just reading the whole thing straight through, even sections that you feel like won’t apply to you- I got something super helpful out of lots of sections I wasn’t expecting to! I feel like there’s always more to learn than you think there is, and there are always more methods, treatments, answers than it feels like there is too.
Outside of specific tips, even just being immersed in their mindsets and learning how to consider your life through the lens of bipolar was really useful to me.
Overall super easy read that is still really useful so what’s not to like!
Ok yeah just looking at the cover this book may come across as cheesy af & maybe reductive & out of touch, but it’s anything but. Its casual tone, format, and tense means that Wendy & Honora spend the whole book speaking directly TO you, at YOUR level, which is also not something possible in scientific lit. It’s super comfortable, not bogged down by jargon, only supported and enhanced by science intermittently. It’s about little things and big things. They do not dull or dim any of their experiences or methods or findings.
The book’s purpose is “how to fine tune this illness when you’re at sea level” & “fuel up” and that’s spot on. If you’re not at sea level and wanting to read this while experiencing some amount of depression, I’d recommend skipping through to sections/tips in the table of contents that feel like they could contain things that would feel good for you to hear, not like work. Most of this book won’t land while you’re depressed.
But! It sure does when you have recently come out of an episode and already achieved some amount of stability, and it’s incredibly useful. In that case I also recommend just reading the whole thing straight through, even sections that you feel like won’t apply to you- I got something super helpful out of lots of sections I wasn’t expecting to! I feel like there’s always more to learn than you think there is, and there are always more methods, treatments, answers than it feels like there is too.
Outside of specific tips, even just being immersed in their mindsets and learning how to consider your life through the lens of bipolar was really useful to me.
Overall super easy read that is still really useful so what’s not to like!
January 27, 2016
This book is comprised of 66 tips intended to help the reader navigate the Wonderful World of Bipolarity. And these ladies are spot-on. It starts with basics (get a pill tray-you'll need it for the rest of your natural life) and continues on for a total of fourteen chapters, truly covering just about everything you need to know about living well with bipolar.
The authors are honest and funny and have years of combined experience with this particular illness. Though light hearted at times, this book never downplays the seriousness of living with mental illness. From how to get meds for cheap to the healing power of music; from why bipolars should avoid sex sites to why bipolars in particular should shower every day, this book has it all. There were several times while reading this that I desperately wished I had read, oh, 15 years ago when I started my personal little journey, but I am grateful to have this info now and look forward to passing it along to both the veteran bipolar patient and the newly initiated.
The authors are honest and funny and have years of combined experience with this particular illness. Though light hearted at times, this book never downplays the seriousness of living with mental illness. From how to get meds for cheap to the healing power of music; from why bipolars should avoid sex sites to why bipolars in particular should shower every day, this book has it all. There were several times while reading this that I desperately wished I had read, oh, 15 years ago when I started my personal little journey, but I am grateful to have this info now and look forward to passing it along to both the veteran bipolar patient and the newly initiated.
September 6, 2015
This is a very practical, hands on guide for day-to-day living with Bipolar Disorder. However, because the disorder affects people differently, the authors used very broad strokes to give their advice, and often contradicted each other, so while this was a helpful introduction to living with Bipolar Disorder, it wasn't perfect.
May 1, 2017
This just wasn't what I was looking for. I didn't realize it was literally just a list of tips. I had hoped it was more of a narrative of living with bipolar and what they learned from it. I have tips up the wazoo. I want to know what it's like to be on the other side, when you finally found meds and a system that works because I'm losing hope right now.
January 17, 2022
Hands-on tips but very US oriented as it lists a lot of numbers to call etc.
March 2, 2019
NO SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
This book is a MUST READ for anyone with Bipolar Disorder or its cousin Borderline Personality Disorder. It is also a must read for loved ones/those working with psychiatric patients, or those who want to understand. The authors do an amazing job of taking an awful illness (both have Bipolar) (I have type 1 myself), and making basically a very helpful life guide to living, coping, spotting red flags, methods to spot them, how to communicate with your team(s), life hacks, and more. They also provide links to helpful sources, tell their own mini story for every tip the give, and honestly could not have done a better job. This book was so helpful to me in helping myself to regain control over my Bipolar Disorder. Some of this book helped my love also understand what it is and how it works. ESPECIALLY mania. I could not figure out how to explain it in simple terms. The opening of this book did perfectly. It was not an author, but a Dr. that did. He explained it in terms any age older than maybe 14 or so could understand. I cannot express enough how helpful and informative this book is. MUST READ.
This is my first review on here.
This book is a MUST READ for anyone with Bipolar Disorder or its cousin Borderline Personality Disorder. It is also a must read for loved ones/those working with psychiatric patients, or those who want to understand. The authors do an amazing job of taking an awful illness (both have Bipolar) (I have type 1 myself), and making basically a very helpful life guide to living, coping, spotting red flags, methods to spot them, how to communicate with your team(s), life hacks, and more. They also provide links to helpful sources, tell their own mini story for every tip the give, and honestly could not have done a better job. This book was so helpful to me in helping myself to regain control over my Bipolar Disorder. Some of this book helped my love also understand what it is and how it works. ESPECIALLY mania. I could not figure out how to explain it in simple terms. The opening of this book did perfectly. It was not an author, but a Dr. that did. He explained it in terms any age older than maybe 14 or so could understand. I cannot express enough how helpful and informative this book is. MUST READ.
This is my first review on here.
June 7, 2022
I really like Williamson's other book 'I'm not crazy just bipolar', but this one really missed the mark for me. It was overly simplistic and a bit chaotically organised. It was also too orientated towards the US medical system to be relevant for anyone living outside the US.
December 5, 2022
Absolutely terrific!
I truly enjoyed this book and can totally identify with the authors. They bring the truth of bipolar disorder to light, and I am going to read it again and again, as it has some very good advice and I want to study it. Highly recommended.
I truly enjoyed this book and can totally identify with the authors. They bring the truth of bipolar disorder to light, and I am going to read it again and again, as it has some very good advice and I want to study it. Highly recommended.
February 8, 2024
This was really helpful in taking a different look at my mental illness. There are so many resources and ways of coping with bipolar disorder that I was unaware of. Have me a good baseline for do’s and don’ts moving forward.
December 3, 2018
I would give it 10 stars if I could for how informative and real and insightful it is about bipolar disorder. And for how much it is helping me on my journey.
April 2, 2019
I found this easy to read and informative. I've had a low recently and decided to read this to remind myself of helpful things to do and it did its job quite well!
June 18, 2022
Read as an audiobook.
October 26, 2022
Came across as privileged and judgey to me
October 8, 2020
Part of being bipolar is staying on top of needs and on top of medication. This small book provides guidance for the newly diagnosed to help manage medication, the prodromes of mania or depression, those enchanting activities that only work if you have no sense of the future (gambling, spending, sexing, etc.), how to access support in the twelve-step rooms, and other ideas.
Strongly recommend for anyone trying to manage the thicket of information that comes with this mysterious and tricky illness.
Strongly recommend for anyone trying to manage the thicket of information that comes with this mysterious and tricky illness.
April 21, 2015
I live in Canada, so I can't related to some of the more mundane aspects of health care like insurance. However, parts of the book really felt like I was reading my own diary, so I found it very easy to connect. I wish I had this book back in September 2014, when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It would have made the news a little bit better to deal with.
June 7, 2016
Practical Guide for BP
This is a great book talking about the honest realities of BP, from symptoms and causes to medications and treatments. Its a practical approach to an impractical world. I wish my doctor had recommended it to me a long time ago. Definitely worth it!
This is a great book talking about the honest realities of BP, from symptoms and causes to medications and treatments. Its a practical approach to an impractical world. I wish my doctor had recommended it to me a long time ago. Definitely worth it!
May 25, 2015
I don't know much about bipolar disorder and this book was still a great read. Great, energetic narration, relatable even for someone who isn't bipolar, and full of practical tips.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews