Bipolar Disorder Demystified - Brief Article - Book Review

Nutrition Health Review, Summer, 2003

Bipolar disorder is characterized by intense, sometimes alternating feelings of both elation (mania) and depression. It is a complex illness that can be difficult to identify and, in some cases, even harder to overcome. Each year, at least 2.3 million Americans experience severe forms of bipolar disorder, and an estimated 10 to 13 million others suffer from a milder form.

Lana Castle has lived with depression and bipolar disorder for more than 40 years. She calls herself a "mental health patient, a suicide survivor, a concerned family member, and an advocate for early treatment, suicide prevention, and better mental health services."

It is clear that she knows what she is talking about in Bipolar Disorder Demystified, a book that is both a clinical analysis and a personal cautionary tale, told by someone who has been through it all and has come out on top.

Writing for patients and their family members alike, the author explains the symptoms, warning signs, and coping mechanisms that may seem obvious in hindsight but often go unnoticed in times of personal strife. She offers advice about dietary modifications, the importance of mineral levels in the body, aroma therapy, and medications in a style that is both compassionate and knowledgeable.

Bipolar disorder is an illness that is responsible for untold turmoil in millions of families each year. Lana Castle's book is a helpful tool that might be able to lessen the burden.