I agree with the other reviewer that this is not a helpful book. I was hoping to find an informative book for children that have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This book is definitely not it! I believe it would scare youngsters into thinking that they might end up in an asylum, receiving electro-shock therapy. The book states that not everyone ends up like that, but it seems to dwell on the topic. It also has some disturbing information about the history of mental illness and they way patients were treated long ago.

This book is very limited in scope and focuses on the negative aspects of manic depression. As the wife of a manic depressive, I found it to be a book to steer clear of as the author seems to think that all manic depressives are doomed to be inmates and have no function in society.

Very limited information about anything. Reads more like a newspaper article. If the author knows anything about flea-markets, she has kept it a secret.

My mother was recently diagnosed, and I bought this book hoping it would be an informative summary of treatment methods, statistics, and coping strategies. Unfortunately, it is not. It contains pretty much the same general information that can be found on the American Cancer Society web site, and I would recommend the National Cancer Institute's PDQ service for much more comprehensive clinical information. Also, my mother's oncologist provided several pamphlets that were just as good or better on treatment side effects and coping strategies. As far as I can tell, this book's main merit is its case studies, all of which have positive outcomes. These may give patients more hope. However, the price of the book is a little steep if that's all one gets from it. I would recommend that patients and families do their own research: it's more empowering, it's free, and the information is better.

This book is out-of-print and it should be. It is out-dated for the most part, particularly in relation to technology. The book was written at a time when the fastest modems ran at 28.8 bps.
As far as help with writing, it is a very beginning book, and at that not very extensive. In addtion, it is only helpful if you are writing a paper in MLA or APA.
Find another book, this one is not worth the price, no matter how low.