Why Am I Still Depressed? Recognizing and Managing the Ups and Downs of Bipolar II and Soft Bipolar Disorder

I bought this book after being diagnosed as Bipolar II. For many years I've been diagnosed as having PMS, PMDD, and most forms of depression. It wasn't until I experienced a major depressive episode (suicidal), became euphoric while on antidepressants, and saw a good psychiatrist that I felt I was finally diagnosed properly. Many books I have read thus far seem to focus on Bipolar I, while this one goes in depth on Bipolar II in clear, consise language. As a sufferer of Bipolar II, I have never experienced the euphoria (until taking antidepressants) that many with Bipolar I experience. When I hit the "manic" stage, I become extremely agitated and have become violent. This book explained my experience, as if the author had read my mind and laid it out in print so I could comprehend it. I do have to agree with another reviewer that use of the term "soft" is condescending as our lows are much lower than those living with Bipolar I. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has been diagnosed as Bipolar II or their loved ones.

Why am I still depressed? .... By Jim Phelps M.D. I read Dr Phelps book over the weekend, and due to the fact that I consider myself to be fairly well educated about bipolar disorder, I wasn't expecting any big surprises. I certainly wasn't expecting any answers to questions that have nagged me for years, but I was most pleasantly surprised. The book itself is well written, spelling out in plain language how to recognize and treat Bipolar II Disorder, or Soft Bipolar Disorder - or, in fact, the entire bipolar spectrum (personally this was the first major hurdle I had to cross, although I have seen suggestions of spectrums before, breaking bipolar disorder into six subtypes for example, rather than two. But the concept of bipolarity occurring across the spectrum was a new one for me. On a score of 1-5 I would give this book a 5.5 - I think it is that important that any person with mood swings or recurrent depression is able to read about, and understand how even subtle changes in mood can provoke problems along the way. Dr. Phelps is speaking to us, the patient (or survivor as many of us prefer to be called), and to the physicians who treat us, who have been educated in the older school of thought about bipolar disorder - almost like a math equation: 2 of this plus 4 of that and because none of this is added in it = "bipolar disorder II" Dr Phelps is more like a gourmet chef ... looking at a wide variety of signs and symptoms, ferreting out even the smallest change of mood as evidence of bipolar disorder in people who had previously been thought to have major depression (many people who are diagnosed with major depression are later diagnosed with bipolar disorder ... often taking an average of seven years to have their diagnosis changed.) The next big change is in the treatment of bipolar II disorder and the soft disorders. Even though there are many variables across the spectrum ... milder symptoms, short term, long term, life threatening, severe symptoms etc, one thing is constant, and that is the need for appropriate treatment to make you feel as well as you can feel, without side effects from the medication you take. I'm not going to talk about treatment here, but if you were diagnosed over five years ago and haven't read Dr. Phelps web site at psycheducation.org I'll bet - if I were a gambler I'd say $5.00 each, that you are either prescribing (if you're a doctor), or taking (if you're a patient) some kind of antidepressant medication. I challenge you to read the book and digest the information Dr Phelps presents - a big bite to swallow at first, but it makes absolute, perfect sense. I have been diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder for 28 years, and have traveled a rocky path. My mother was diagnosed with Manic Depressive Illness (the former name for bipolar disorder, the terms are used interchangeably today) for 30 years before me, and I have a plethora of alcoholic relatives on both the maternal and paternal side of the family,

I have suffered from Bipolar II disorder for over a decade before being diagnosed 18 months ago. Upon the outset of my treatment I began to research my condition and eventually came upon Dr. Phelps' website, psycheducation.org. It was a GOD-send to have all this well researched, referenced and linked information right there! IT CHANGED THE COURSE I TOOK in my treatment and for the better. The emphasis here is who has the control: you, the condition or the doctor? The answer should be YOU! With this book you begin equiping yourself with practical knowledge that urges you to learn all you can about your condition and thus make educated decisions about how to successfully manage your condition. And it isn't all about medication either! A MUST HAVE book for anyone who is just becomming familiar with this condition and/or needs the latest information to help others. The stigma and enigma of bipolar disorder, even depression, will be removed thanks to the ongoing work of Dr. Phelps and the many experts he sites!

Disclaimer: I know and like Dr. Phelps. I have come to know him in my capacity as a librarian. As one of the librarians who daily struggle to keep up with his insatiable desire to keep up with the latest developments in the field of bipolar disorder, I can tell you that he knows what he is writing about. It is positively exhausting trying to satisfy Dr. Phelps' informational requirements when it comes to bipolar disorder because he reads about every conceivable aspect of it, from the molecular and genetic to the everyday clinical. Want to read a book on bipolar disorder and associated conditions by someone who somehow manages to combine a droll, folksy prose style with unrivaled expertise? This is the book for you, whether you are a primary care doctor seeing a patient with symptoms of depression or are a non-medical person bewildered and worried by aspects of your own behavior or by those of someone you know and, perhaps, love. This book performs a major public service by providing an approachable, easy-to-follow guide to a very complex subject: the differences between Bipolar I and Bipolar II and between those two conditions and unipolar depression. Dr. Phelps delineates the role of anti-depressants in the treatment of all three conditions and his dissection of the intricacies of the debates and controversies over these matters is both illuminating and surprisingly funny. Sometimes he can be endearingly bossy, such as telling us the readers to read certain sentences again and what NOT to do. He cares about us readers and doesn't want us to do anything stupid or self-destructive and to read carefully. And millions of people out there should read this book, given that doing so really could save their own lives or those of others. The information contained in this book really is that important. Antidepressants are a godsend to others, but if given in the wrong circumstances and to patients who do not require them, they may be deadly. Dr. Phelps examines these issues in a beguiling, winning combination of down-to-earth humor and knowledge grounded in years of clinical practice and wide reading. He also makes clear what he does not know and what is not known by anyone at this stage. That, too, is important. He compassionately and reassuringly tells us that there is no shame in manifesting the signs of bipolar disorder and that you can be helped. This book is your lifeline. Grab it and pull yourself to the shore of survival and hope. Hope Leman Corvallis, Oregon

I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy before its publication. If you have had repeated depressions, depression that started before age 30, a depression that has gone on for years or depression that fails to be treated by antidepressant this book may save your life. If you don’t think you have Bipolar Disorder this book will help you decide. If you are depressed and have a relative with Bipolar Disorder this book is for you. If you have depression and mood swings this book is for you. Bipolar II sufferers have very little "highs" easily missed by professionals. Some times there are no "highs" at all and only irritability. If your mind just goes and goes at night when you are trying to go to sleep this book is for you. If you have been diagnosed Borderline there is at least a 50% chance you are Bipolar II and this book is for you. If you are have Bipolar II this book is for you. If you have a loved one with Bipolar II this book is for you. If you are a counselor, a primary care physician or a psychiatrist this book is for you. Don’t thing you see or treat Bipolar II this book is especially for you. Think that Bipolar is over diagnosed read this book and you will save lives. This book is the first and only book dedicated to the most common type of Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar II. Bipolar II disorder represent as much as 7% of our population. It is as common or more common than Major Depression. All other books about "Bipolar" are about Bipolar I and don’t address the special needs of people who have Bipolar II. The average time to be correctly diagnosed is 12 years. As a leading educator in the field of psychiatry Dr. Phelps has access to the latest scientific information even before it is published. This book was written for the layperson yet contains a cornucopia of information about Bipolar II that it is a must read for professionals.