Bipolar Kids: Helping Your Child Find Calm in the Mood Storm

by Rosalie Greenberg

Once considered an adult illness, bipolar disorder (manic depression) is one of the fastest growing categories in child psychiatry since ADHD, touching the lives of an estimated one million children. But often it goes misdiagnosed, and children can be prescribed medication that only worsens their condition. Parents are desperate for someone to guide the way through this difficult time. With her twenty-five years of clinical experience, child psychiatrist Rosalie Greenberg offers families a lifeline--a book filled with sage, practical, and reassuring advice for anyone struggling to help a child locate that elusive inner calm.With a revolutionary approach that sees the brilliance, the sweetness, the creativity in bipolar kids, Dr. Greenberg gathers their stories and their parents' stories to open a window onto these children who have for so long gone misunderstood. She walks readers through the different scenarios that may occur with bipolar kids, from daring manic phases to sudden periods of overwhelming sadness. She shows parents how best to navigate the peaks and valleys of bipolar disorder and provides them with the assurance that they need not tackle this illness alone. Most important, she encourages adults to listen to what children say through the maze of their mania and depression, for this can make all the difference in diagnosing and successfully managing bipolar disorder. Bipolar Kids offers parents welcome understanding, guidance, and most of all hope that their child, with the proper interventions, can lead a productive and successful life.

Genres: Psychology, Parenting, Nonfiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Emily Rosén · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening and life saving. I will be reading again... soon.

[Angie Haden · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best bipolar books I have read so far. It described so many things that my son has experienced or we deal with daily, that I never tied to the bipolar. It easily explained things with a bit of psychiatry and reasoning, but in a way that is easy to understand without the medical mumbo jumbo. I would definitely recommend to any parent of a bipolar child.

I also loved the section at the back that broke down the most common medicines and their pros and cons. Very helpful!

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very focused on the medical side of things. I liked how this book talked about the difference between the presentation of bipolar in children and adults, but was frustrated by the continual discussion of medication and therapies. I would have liked to have seen more about coping skills for other family members, accommodations in the classroom, and mood-awareness-building for the children themselves.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinarily helpful book with clear explanations and straight talk. I highly recommend this to anyone whose child is newly diagnosed. Serves as a wonderful reminder that not every child with bipolar experiences the same symptoms, but that treatment IS possible.

[Martha Treder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some really great information for families with kids who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Very informative and I would recommend reading it. Answers some really important concerns.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Gave me some great insights into my son's behavior and helped me to FINALLY get him a diagnosis that makes sense.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enlightening about the illness of being bipolar. Still not so sure if I could identify a person with this, however, the book has helped me to define the illness.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very informative. As I had a lot of questions this helped a lot.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explained a lot! Glad I picked up this book!