I found that this book, however, offered what our family needs at this point in our daughter's life: tips, ideas, suggestions, and specifics to help parents and bipolar children cope.

The authors clearly respect parents' existing base of knowledge about bipolar and trust them enough to make use of the information provided without having to rehash the details of the disorder ad infinitum.

While this book may be informative to those who want to know more about some of the issues parents of bipolar children face, the book clearly is aimed specifically at the parents who already are on the front lines.

The book is written in a clear, no-nonsense, easy-to-follow fashion. I came away from this book with numerous strategies for helping my daughter deal with her mood swings--(techniques ranging from Playdough art projects to smacking a tennis ball against the garage wall).

This is an excellent read for any parent struggling with the problems of a bipolar child. Obviously, it's not a cure-all, but it's easy to read and, as 'bipolar parents' know, ideas for coping mechanisms are always welcome.

I appeciated the authors' directness and writing style. Although I read the book all the way through, I still pick it up now and then to flip to various sections for new ideas, to refresh my memory about a medication, or to give myself a pep talk.

Thanks so much to the authors for writing this book, and to my child's therapist for recommending it.

29 of 29 found the following review helpful:


Powerful, Uplifting & Essential  Nov 19, 2003 By Russell Friedman
Finally, a book that addresses all sides of this painful spectrum - lovingly, practically, and compassionately. This book explains Depression and Bipolar Disorder along with strategies to deal with it effectively, in language that parents and kids can understand. Together, they can take the actions that lead to succesful and happy lives.

It is one thing to face a singular loss, but yet another when the grief of an ongoing condition presents itself on a daily. basis. This book goes a long way to helping all concerned deal with that reality.

26 of 26 found the following review helpful:


Great book for parents.  Feb 12, 2004
I work as an inpatient clinician on a child/adolescent unit. This book answers the questions and gives the guidance I am frequently asked for. Clearly it is a book that was written by very knowledgable professionals who have a compasionate understanding for what the overwhelmed parents of these children need. It is clearly written and full of practical advice and useful tools. I strongly recommend it for anyone with a child/teen with a mood problem. If you know one of these parents-buy it as a gift for them-they are probably too busy dealing with their life to get it for themselves.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:


A Must Read  Feb 05, 2006 By Donna Demers
Although The Bipolar Child had great insight as to why my child was diagnosed ADHD at 6 and then rediagnosed Bipolar at age 14, I found this book to be extremely helpful as to what needs to follow now that my son is Bipolar. I have to agree with one of the other reviews written, that this book contains information parents are "assumed" to already know, when in fact, we do not. If you have a child suffering from Bipolar or depression, I highly recommend reading this book.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Raising a Moody Child is no easy task  May 05, 2008 By Da Mom "Lolo"
This book was helpful in describing different types of biploar disorders.
It also described how people have adjusted to and accepted the mood swings their children go thru while dealing with medication trial and errors. Every child is different and there is no cut and dried "recipe" for bipolarity treatment.
It was most helpful for me in deciding to purchase this book to "look inside" the book. Being able to view the table of contents and an excerpt from the book helped me decide if this book was the help I was looking for. And it was.
The book also described how the entire family is affected and their involvment in the solutions, which I found to be helpful to know we were not alone in our struggles.

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