Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder is my foundational book. It’s the one I recommend for those who are new to bipolar disorder.

A description of the book is below. If you’re a family member or health care professional who wants to learn the basics of bipolar disorder and how the illness can be treated with a management plan, you will love this book! Take Charge was the first book to talk about having a trigger management plan for bipolar disorder. It also introduced the idea of avoiding the bipolar disorder conversation and the importance of having a team in place to help manage the illness.

Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder with Julie A. Fast: A 4-Step Management Plan for People with Bipolar Disorder, Family Members and Health Care Professionals to Help Manage the Illness and Create Meaningful and Productive Lives

Julie A. Fast shares her journey to manage bipolar disorder and how you, a loved one, friend or client can learn to do the same. Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder teaches readers the four step plan Julie uses daily to lead a productive and happy life. The book covers these topics:

1. The key to a correct diagnosis.

2. Specific lifestyle changes and trigger management skills anyone affected by the illness can use at no cost.

3. Strategies to find a supportive health care team.

4. Tips to find and keep enjoyable work while managing the illness.

5. How to talk with others about bipolar disorder.

….and ultimately how, like Julie you can create and integrate an easy to use management plan for the whole family or client to use.

Never forget: 

• Family members can learn to help (without enabling) while keeping their own lives stable.
• Partners can work together to create a stable relationship that is not controlled by bipolar disorder.
• Health care professionals can find more options than medications alone to help their patients find stable, productive and joyful lives.
• People with bipolar disorder can create a management plan that helps create a happy and productive life.

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I wrote Take Charge over 12 years ago and still use the ideas in the book almost every day. I loved the writing process and hope you enjoy reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Julie