I have this book ordered but for know I can only add that if this book only contains 10% of the valuable information that is available on Dr. Phelps web site (psycheducation.org) then it is a must read. The information and insight that Dr. Phelps shares can be of the utmost help for those struggling to get a proper diagnosis. He is careful to explain, in plain English, the ways in which different types of mood disorders manifest themselves. Sufferers can also benefit from his honest and pragmatic advice with regards to medical treatments.

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