A Spectrum Approach to Mood Disorders: Not Fully Bipolar but Not Unipolar--Practical Management

After reading A SPECTRUM APPROACH I realized I had misdiagnosed a client of mine. Although it was hard for me to give up the belief that she had a severe form of OCD, she did turn around in a few weeks after 3 months of anxious depression and become an effervescent bubbly woman full of energy. Without having read A SPECTRUM APPROACH, I would not be able to help her understand that her mood changes are not reactions to specific stressors, but an underlying disorder. As Dr. Phelps explains, part of talk therapy is to educate clients about their diagnosis and to establish routines that will not counter-act necessary medications.I will say that the book seems to be addressing MDs but his website (given in the book) is reader friendly and almost folksy. I now have a good grasp of the gene and stress factors that contribute to regular depression and am fascinated by how the biological clock is a major player in bipolar disorders. I teach a neuroscience seminar for continuing education and I WILL be passing on Dr. Phelps' information and recommending A SPECTRUM APPROACH TO MOOD DISORDERS.

I have bipolar ii and have found all three of Dr Phelps' books on the subject to be helpful and interesting. This one is aimed at clinicians. If you enjoy reading even more information than was presented in the other books about the studies behind the suggested treatments and the considerations when choosing treatment regimens, I recommend this book. If that much detail is not interesting to you, the other books cover much of the same information. There may be more information in this book than the others about the different medication choices, but I don't remember; I checked the other books out of the library a while ago, and cannot compare them directly to this book right now.

The Doc nailed it. I am not an MD but read it cover to cover. The book basically explains why Bipolar II is so hard to treat and at the same time explains what is going on. Not a book for the average reader, pretty complex, but well worth the read...

This book should be required reading for any provider diagnosing psychiatric patients. I can’t tell you how many times I have seen patients misdiagnosed with depression who have bipolar. The author does a great job of presenting positive and negative traits to look for, along with genetic markers. He also discusses the use of psychotropic drugs to treat bipolar. He extensively teaches about the pros and cons of lithium, and how to use it. One of my favorite things about this book is that he also discusses lifestyle adjustments and supplements that are also helpful in treating bipolar. Highly highly recommend this book!

This book is very helpful in explaining the spectrum of bipolar disorder. I would recommend it to anyone who is newly diagnosed or if you have a loved one battling this mental illness.

A brilliant compassionate deeply experienced Psychiatrist tells us ALL HE KNOWS about this intensely frustrating and challenging type of mind, biochemistry, person, life... If someone you love struggles with life-altering mood-swings and related - this book will help you understand, respond to the challenges, work effectively with mental health professionals and programs, etc.

My daughter was very recently diagnosed as bipolar and this book has been extremely helpful during this difficult time and has helped me understand this complex illness so much better. We need more physicians like this author /MD available to treat patients!

Fresh and insightful view on mood disorders that departs from the usual strict categorization so that one can see this topic from a very useful perspective.

Very interesting book. I admire the author's positive stance when dealing with such a controversial issue.

Dr. Phelps provides an insightful view of mood disorders that actually describe patients as they really are.