Q: Are there any particular books you can recommend for someone whose partner has bipolar disorder?
Denise I looked everywhere! The only book I could find was one called "Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder" by Julie A. Fast. It helped a little, explained a little... But it was how to COPE with a BP partner and how to get thru it TOGETHER. I don't know your situation so that may be just want you are looking for.
When I was searching, I guess what I was looking for was an explaination. Because my relationship was falling apart and ending bc of BP. I couldn't find a book like that so I'm WRITING ONE! I think there are a lot of BP caregivers out there that need something the explains WHY and perhaps how to move on and love again, trust again. I think a lot of people who have loved a BP need the WHY question answered.
Good luck to you!
Since it is impossible to really understand what someone else is going through, and you can only try...I would suggest reading books from the bipolar person's point of view such as Patty Duke's account, Kay R. Jamison's An Unquiet Mind, Styron's Darkness Visible about depression...you can go to the DBSA national website and find a lengthy reading list. There are also books about being the caretaker, mother, spouse...the most loving support person will never really understand...and understanding is not the be all end all anyway. From my own experience, I would rather hear, "I cannot fully comprehend what you are going through, but know that I am here for you and what can I help you with?" One more thought, you may want to attend a support group for family members in your area to gain more insight. Good luck to you and your husband.
I read that book as well and your right, you don't get the WHY and I don't think you'll ever find it in a book because everyone is different and we may never know the why of our spouse's BP because whenever I ask my husband "why" he usually answers with "I don't know why" so if the person with BP doesn't even know we'll never know. Maybe with more time in therapy my husband will find out the why and share it with me. But in the mean time I just go with the flow. I let him know I'm here for him and tell him to let me know what I can do for him. Not much else we can do as spouses or caregivers.
I, too have read various BP/Mental Illness memoirs, including "Girl, Interrupted", Eden Express, An Unquiet Mind, The Quiet Room, Manic, and The Center Cannot Hold. I found each of these books didn't really go far enough into the nuts and bolts of being manic/bipolar. So I, like one of the other people who answered you, am writing a book geared towards helping family and friends to understand the way a manic mind works. My working title is I Thought I Was A Mermaid, since one of my delusions was that I was a mermaid. In my book, I explain things that the other books didn't (at least from my perspective), including how my voices started and exactly what they sounded like and said; how I became persuaded that I was a mermaid; the talking fish at Cabela's (a sports store), and the talking blood pressure machine at the hospital emergency room. My family as well as my nurse friends found the stuff in my book very very helpful because it gives them insight into the (from their perspective) manic's bizarre actions. My actions all made sense when they saw my point of view. This insight into the nuts and bolts of a manic's mind is probably the most useful feature of my book that isn't covered in any of the other books I've read. I'm half done with my memoir,but I explore the same concepts in my blog, including how delusions work and what it's like to ge involuntarily committed to a mental hospital at crazymer1.wordpress.com. I hope this helps.
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Thank you for your reply! I actually ordered that book from Amazon.com and, after kind of 'speed-reading' it, I thought it seemed kind of complicated. I'm pretty sure I should go through it more slowly to give it another chance. Does anyone else know of any other books they'd recommend?
P.S. I'd love to read the book you're writing when you finish it!