Recommended Books on Depression and Bipolar Disorder

The books listed here have been chosen and reviewed by a DRADA Information Committee composed of professionals and volunteers. The book reviews have been printed in DRADA's publication, Smooth Sailing.

Recommended Books Listed in Chronological Order Based on Date of Publication

Depression and Anxiety, The Johns Hopkins White Papers 2005, Karen Swartz, M.D. (ed.). New York: Medletter Associates, 2005. (Paperback, 64 pages, $24.95.) Can be ordered online at www.HopkinsWhitePapers.com or www.HopkinsAfter50.com.

Summary: The 2005 edition of Depression and Anxiety provides updated versions of much of the excellent material of earlier editions, supplemented with reports on recent research findings and discussions of newly addressed topics. This publication is particularly appropriate for the layperson who wants an authoritative summary of the most up-to-date scientific information available.
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The Peace of Mind Prescription: An Authoritative Guide to Finding the Most Effective Treatment for Anxiety and Depression, Charney, Dennis S., M.D., and Nemeroff, Charles B., M.D., Ph.D. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Hardback, 259 pages.

Summary: Thorough description of most major anxiety and mood disorders, their symptoms, causes and treatments. Helps patients ask the right questions and become more active participants in their own care.
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Raising a Moody Child: How to Cope with Depression and Bipolar Disorder, Fristad, Mary A., Ph.D., and Arnold, Jill S., Ph.D. New York: Guilford Press, 2004. Hardback, 260 pages.

Summary: A helpful book for parents who have a teen or younger child with emotional or behavioral problems, which provides information on depression or bipolar disorder as it manifests itself in those ages.
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Exuberance: The Passion for Life, Jamison, Kay Redfield, Ph.D. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Hardback, 405 pages.

Summary: Kay Jamison’s exploration into the long neglected emotion of human condition. Exuberance is defined by the author as a “mood or temperament of joyfulness, ebullience and high spirits, a state of overflowing energy and delight.” Other books by Kay Jamison reviewed on this site include: An Unquiet Mind, Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide, Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament.
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Understanding Depression: What We Know and What You Can Do About It, DePaulo, J. Raymond, Jr., M.D., and Horvitz, Leslie Alan. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. Hardback, 304 pages; also in paperback.

Summary: A comprehensive primer for patients, family members, and others seeking clear and up-to-date information about the illnesses of clinical depression (unipolar depression), and bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness), and related disorders by the Director of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. In his interview he attributes the inspiration for the book to a visit to a DRADA support group. He stresses the need to recognize and communicate what is still not known about the illness as well as what is known. The book includes discussion of genetic and hormonal research.
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The Years of Silence Are Past: My Father’s Life with Bipolar Disorder, Hinshaw, Stephen P. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Hardback, 227 pages.

Summary: An accomplished psychologist writes about his memories of his father, a prominent philosopher who suffered from bipolar disorder. Written in an insightful and sympathetic way, this book has been recommended by the reviewer for patients and family members.

Adult Bipolar Disorders: Understanding Your Diagnosis & Getting Help, Waltz, Mitzi. Sebastopol, Calif.: O’Reilly & Associates, 2002. Paperback, 371 pages.

Summary: This book addresses information on bipolar disorders: definitions, diagnosis, medication, and talk therapies, included are sections on going to college, working, and whether to “come out” at work, the Americans with Disabilities Act, medical leave (including the Family and Medical Leave Act), and legal and financial planning. Of particular note to readers are chapters on complementary therapies and health care insurance.
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know, Miklowitz, David J. Ph.D. New York: Guilford Press, 2002. Paperback, 322 pages.

Summary: This 322 page guide is designed to help patients with bipolar disorder cope with their illness.
Living Longer DEPRESSION FREE: A Family Guide to Recognizing, Treating, and Preventing Depression in Later Life, Miller, Mark D., M.D., and Reynolds III, Charles F., M.D. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002. Paperback, 184 pages.

Summary: Focuses on depression and bipolar disorders in the older generation. Valuable resource for any older person struggling with a depressive illness, as well as their family, friends, and caregivers.
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Adolescent Depression: A Guide for Parents, Mondimore, Francis Mark, M.D. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002. Paperback, 287 pages; also in hardback.

Summary: A comprehensive, clearly written guide for parents and those working with teenagers about the signs and symptoms of clinical depression, how medications work, benefits of talk therapy, and other interventions. Differentiates bewildering moods and behaviors of depressed teenagers from problems incurred as “part of growing up.”

More Than Moody: Recognizing and Treating Adolescent Depression, Koplewicz, Harold S., M.D. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2002. Hardback, 303 pages.

Summary: Using case studies, Dr. Koplewicz walks the reader through the various manifestations of adolescent depression detailing symptoms that are not normal and need to be investigated by parents, diagnosis, treatment and response to treatment.

Overcoming Teen Depression: A Guide for Parents, Kaufman, Miriam, B.S.C.N., M.D., FRCP. Buffalo, N.Y.: Firefly Books, 2001. Paperback, 262 pages.

Summary: Gives a comprehensive overview of the depressive illness, emphasizing the medical components. The tone of the book is hopeful, emphasizing the parents can help their teens get better by seeking a diagnosis, finding appropriate treatment and providing support in many ways.
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I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help!, Amador, Xavier with Johansen, Anna-Lisa. Peconic, NY: Vida Press, 2000. Paperback, 197 pages.

Summary: Advises a lay person how to communicate and cope with a family member so as to aid and support continuation of treatment. Explains the process of calling the doctor, a mobile crisis team, the police and filing civil commitments.

Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide, Jamison, Kay Redfield, Ph.D. New York: Knopf, 1999. Hardback, 432 pages; also in paperback.

Summary: Covers general information about suicide, its history, the psychological patterns that underlie suicide attempts, suicide’s biological component, and suicide prevention. Also includes stories about persons who have attempted or committed suicide.
Electroshock: Restoring the Mind, Fink, Max, M.D. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Hardback, 157 pages.

Summary: Thoroughly covers modern electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), dispelling common misconceptions and fears and detailing its benefits.
How You Can Survive when They’re Depressed: Living and Coping with Depression Fallout. Sheffield, Anne. New York: Random House, 1999. (Paperback, 306 pages)

Summary: Offers good sensible advice on self-help for those living with a person who has depressive illness.
Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families, Mondimore, Francis Mark, M.D. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1999. Paperback, 277 pages.

Summary: In Bipolar Disorder, Dr. Mondimore has focused on information that patients and families really want and need about the illness more commonly known as manic depression. The comprehensive and authoritative coverage in the 277 page book ranges from brain imaging to practical ways to reduce the risk of relapse.

Personal History, Graham, Katharine. New York: Vintage Books. 1998, Paperback, 642 pages.

Summary: This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is an introspective account of the life of an exceptional woman, former publisher of the Washington Post. The review describes her frank discussion of her husband’s bipolar illness.

The Perspectives of Psychiatry, McHugh, Paul R., M.D., and Slavney, Phillip R., M.D., 2nd ed. Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Paperback, 299 pages.

Summary: Dr. McHugh, former chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Dr. Slavney provide four conceptual approaches to psychiatry illnesses, as described in the review.

An Unquiet Mind, Jamison, Kay Redfield, Ph.D. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995. Hardback, 224 pages; also in paperback.

Summary: Dr. Jamison, an acclaimed author and educator of scholarly books about depression and bipolar disorder, describes for the first time, her own struggles with bipolar illness. She describes with candor and wit how her bipolar illness shaped her personal and work life. The review includes quotes from the book, describing her feelings of depression.

Undercurrents: A Therapist’s Reckoning with Her Own Depression, Manning, Martha. San Francisc HarperCollins, 1994. Hardback, 197 pages; also in paperback: Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface.

Summary: The author uses episodes from her own personal and professional life to portray the course of her severe depression, including her successful treatment with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Depression: The Mood Disease, Mondimore, Francis Mark, M.D. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990; revised 1993. Hardback, 256 pages; also in paperback.

Summary: Focuses on scientific knowledge about mood disorders in easy-to-understand style. Illustrates the difficulty and importance of accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder: What It Is and How to Overcome It, Rosenthal, Norman E. M.D. New York: Guilford Publications, Inc., 1993. Paperback, 325 pages.

Summary: This expert’s book is an invaluable resource for seasonal affective disorder (SAD) patients. Covers light treatment, medication, psychotherapy, diet, and exercise.

Touched With Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament, Jamison, Key Redfied, Ph.D. New York: The Free Press, 1993. Hardback, 370 pages; also in paperback.

Summary: Presents evidence for a link between the illness and artistic creativity, featuring quotations from the artists' writings. Also covers biochemical and genetic information. Beautifully written.

Darkness Visible, Styron, William. New York: Random House, 1990. Hardback, 84 pages; also in paperback.

Summary: When this Pulitzer-Prize winning author wrote about his personal experience with depression, this small, powerful book became a national best seller. Speaker at the DRADA/Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Symposium in 1989 and again in 2002, Styron’s words are chilling, yet hopeful.

DRADA PUBLICATION

The Manual for Mood Disorder Support Groups, Resnick, Wendy Miller, R.N., M.S., C.S. Baltimore: DRADA, 2004. Spiralbound, paperback, 88 pages.

Summary: Comprehensive guide which provides a time-tested framework for developing, facilitation, and maintaining a mutual-help support group. Answers frequently asked questions about starting a group. Deals with problems and offers solutions to difficulties that may arise in many types of group settings.
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