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Our lending library.

Reading is a great way to relax whilst learning more about bipolar.

Once you've attended two of our monthly meetings, then you can borrow a library book for free for up to two months.

New titles are added monthly, so check back from time to time to see what's new!

Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability

Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability

ISBN:

Published:

978-1538725023

11 May 2023

Most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder are sent home with the name of a doctor and multiple prescriptions. However, few people with bipolar disorder are able to find long-term stability with medications alone.

Bipolar disorder researcher and expert Julie A. Fast, who was diagnosed with the illness at age thirty-one, and specialist John Preston, PsyD, offer the pioneering Take Charge program used around the world to help readers promote stability, reduce mood swings, increase work ability, decrease health care costs, and improve relationships.

Julie spoke with our group via Zoom in August 2024 about diet and bipolar. She is one of the best-selling authors around bipolar in the world.

Or purchase your own copy:

Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health

Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health

ISBN:

Published:

978-1637741580

15 November 2022

We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain.

Or purchase your own copy:

1976 - Growing Up Bipolar

1976 - Growing Up Bipolar

ISBN:

Published:

978-1739680008

23 August 2022

1976 - Growing Up Bipolar is a disturbing, but darkly humorous and life-affirming mental health memoir by Mark Fleming, a Scottish writer and musician.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his 20s, Fleming takes the reader into bipolar's depths of depression and unnatural highs of mania, and is candid about his experiences of locked psych wards, the debilitating side-effects of anti-psychotic drugs, and the terrifying places his deluded mind took him to.

Mark is a member of Bipolar Edinburgh and runs our successful Creative Writing Workshops.

Or purchase your own copy:

High Life. Low Life: Living with bipolar disorder

High Life. Low Life: Living with bipolar disorder

ISBN:

Published:

979-8473522129

9 September 2021

If you are living with bipolar illness or have a family member with the illness, this book may prove to be of some help. Whilst living with a mental health condition can be extremely difficult it can be a great teacher. By the end of the book you will realise that no mental illness defines you as a person. You’re on the cusp of a life worth living, it’s just a matter of making the next right step.

Or purchase your own copy:

Befriending Bipolar: A Patient's Perspective

Befriending Bipolar: A Patient's Perspective

ISBN:

Published:

979-8718415032

18 May 2021

GROUP MEMBER REVIEW:

Befriending Bipolar is a highly interesting and readable account of Oliver Seligman’s experience with bipolar.  Oliver is a monk, author and inspirational speaker and was diagnosed with Type One bipolar in the 1990s, when he was seventeen.

Oliver eloquently recounts his past struggles with bipolar and of his experiences. As a young man, he spent three months in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Oliver describes the anxiety about going home after being there. “I felt safe in that strangely unpredictable environment, even when patients were screaming or security guards running.”

In a later part of Befriending Bipolar, Oliver describes how in his late thirties, he stopped taking lithium for two years. During that time, Oliver experienced around thirty different realities a day, ‘flipping between them every few seconds like a slideshow’.

Befriending Bipolar is an absorbing book which consists of sixteen chapters. At the end of each chapter, Oliver summarises his learnings. These range from talking about what has helped him to manage bipolar and Befriending Bipolar offers useful advice including asking for help which Oliver acknowledges is difficult to do.

Oliver manages bipolar with a combination of lithium, meditation and therapy and leaves the reader with hope as he describes how he has found balance in his life.

Oliver is a member of Bipolar Edinburgh and wrote our Newly Diagnosed with Bipolar guide.

Or purchase your own copy:

Living at the Speed of Light: Navigating Life with Bipolar Disorder, from Depression to Mania and Everything in Between

Living at the Speed of Light: Navigating Life with Bipolar Disorder, from Depression to Mania and Everything in Between

ISBN:

Published:

978-1787755574

18 March 2021

Shining a light on mania, depression and everything in between, this no-nonsense guide to life with bipolar disorder gives advice on how to manage the condition and work towards stability.

Drawing on his own experiences, Kai Conibear discusses the realities of life with bipolar and shares practical tips and advice. He explains different symptoms, including mania, hypomania, psychosis and depression, and gives advice on managing relationships, facing stigma and discrimination and learning to be comfortable with stability. The book also contains a chapter on how friends, family and caregivers can support someone with bipolar practically.

Whether you suspect you have bipolar disorder, have been recently diagnosed or have been living with the condition for many years, this honest but hopeful guide is a must read.

Or purchase your own copy:

The Rabbit Listened

The Rabbit Listened

ISBN:

Published:

978-1912650149

4 June 2020

GROUP MEMBER REVIEW:

The Rabbit Listened is an empathetic and lovely children’s book. Written by Cori Doerrfeld, it is a treat from start to finish. The moving front cover shows a small child, gender unspecified, cuddling and being cuddled by a rabbit.

Taylor is the book’s main character. He or she likes to spend time building intricate brick towers. Then disaster strikes! This paves the way for many animal friends to suggest how Taylor should deal with the situation. However, advice is not what Taylor needs or wants.

Finally, it is Rabbit who is able to provide Taylor with comfort and help.

Through the use of repetitive text and simple language, The Rabbit Listened brilliantly explains that sometimes a situation doesn’t require words or instant action. The book teaches both young and old readers about the importance of empathy – of providing a presence and an ear. By simply being there and listening, you can help a loved one to feel better, and that by giving someone the space and support to empower themselves, they will come up with the best solution.

The Rabbit Listened is a great book to read with young children of any age.

Or purchase your own copy:

The Well Gardened Mind: Rediscovering Nature in the Modern World

The Well Gardened Mind: Rediscovering Nature in the Modern World

ISBN:

Published:

978-0008100711

16 April 2020

How can gardening relieve stress and help us look after our mental health? What lies behind the restorative power of the natural world?

In a powerful combination of contemporary neuroscience, psychoanalysis and brilliant storytelling, The Well Gardened Mind investigates the magic that many gardeners have known for years – working with nature can radically transform our health, wellbeing and confidence.

Or purchase your own copy:

RHS Your Wellbeing Garden: How to Make Your Garden Good for You.

RHS Your Wellbeing Garden: How to Make Your Garden Good for You.

ISBN:

Published:

978-0241386729

6 February 2020

Learn how connecting with nature can reduce stress and improve wellbeing. You don't even need a garden - even a balcony or houseplants can help to boost your mood. Every recommendation is backed by scientific research, drawn together by the team of RHS scientists and experts. Favourite garden designer at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Matt Keightley then suggests how to translate the science into ideas for your green space.

Or purchase your own copy:

Mindfulness-finding peace in a frantic world

Mindfulness-finding peace in a frantic world

ISBN:

Published:

978-9123972302

1 January 2020

Mindfulness Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Wherever You Go There You Are, The Headspace Guide to Mindfulness & Meditation, 10% Happier 4 Books Collection Set:

Mindfulness Finding Peace in a Frantic World:
MINDFULNESS reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that can be incorporated into daily life to help break the cycle of unhappiness, stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion and promote genuine joie de vivre. It's the kind of happiness that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life can throw at you with new courage.

Wherever You Go There You Are:
Mindfulness is considered the heart of Buddhist meditation. But its essence is universal and of deep practical benefit to everyone. In Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in our lives, and awakening us to the unique beauty and possibilities of each present moment.

The Headspace Guide to Mindfulness & Meditation:
Demystifying meditation for the modern world: an accessible and practical route to improved health, happiness and well being, in as little as 10 minutes.Andy Puddicombe, founder of the celebrated Headspace, is on a mission: to get people to take 10 minutes out of their day to sit in the now.

10% Happier:
After having a nationally televised panic attack, Harris knew he had to make some changes. A lifelong non-believer, he found himself on a bizarre adventure and realised that the sources of his problems was the very thing he always thought was his greatest asset: the incessant, insatiable voice in his head, which had propelled him through the ranks of a hyper-competitive business.

Or purchase your own copy:

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide

ISBN:

Published:

978-1462534982

9 April 2019

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong challenge--but it doesn't have to rule your life. Find the science-based information you need in the revised third edition of this indispensable guide. Trusted authority Dr. David J. Miklowitz shares proven strategies for managing your illness or supporting a loved one with the disorder. Learn specific steps to cope with mood episodes, reduce recurrences, avoid misdiagnosis, get the most out of treatment, resolve family conflicts, and make lifestyle changes to stay well. Updated throughout, the third edition has a new chapter on kids and teens; the latest facts on medications and therapy, including important advances in personalized care; and expanded coverage of the bipolar II subtype. It features boxes on complementary and alternative treatments and provides downloadable practical tools.

Or purchase your own copy:

The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery

The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery

ISBN:

Published:

978-0552174268

21 February 2019

'Completely compelling and powerful, and hard to put down.' Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, prize-winning author of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain

- Who are we if our brain fails?
- How do we think?
- How do we feel?
- How do we move, if we move at all?
- What happens when we lose our mind?

When renowned neuroscientist Barbara Lipska's melanoma spread to her brain it started to play tricks on her. The expert on mental illness - a specialist in how the brain operates - experienced what it is like to go mad. Analyzing the science of the mind and the biology of the brain alongisde Dr Lipska's own extraordinary story, this is a fascinating account of what happens when the brain goes awry.

'Oliver Sacks-meets-When Breath Becomes Air ... Barbara Lipska's remarkable story illuminates the many mysteries of our fragile yet resilient brains.' Lisa Genova, bestselling author of Still Alice and Every Note Played

Or purchase your own copy:

Start

Start

ISBN:

Published:

978-1912280070

10 October 2018

This biography does not gloss over or glamorise mental illness, instead Graham Morgan highlights that people can, and do, live full and positive lives.

Join Graham through his recollections of detention under the Mental Health act, learning to live with a new family, and coping with the symptoms that he still struggles to accept are an illness. He takes your through his preparations to address the United Nations in his role working with the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Graham Morgan has an MBE for services to mental health, and helped to write the Scottish Mental Health (2003) Care and Treatment Act.

This is the Act under which he is now detained.

Or purchase your own copy:

Defying the Verdict: My Bipolar Life

Defying the Verdict: My Bipolar Life

ISBN:

Published:

978-1945883071

5 June 2018

During her final semester of college, Charita Brown suffered a psychotic episode frighteningly reminiscent of her grandmother's own breakdown and subsequent hospitalization. Afterward, she was diagnosed with an extreme form of bipolar disorder. Vowing to remain honest, Charita details her struggle after her diagnosis--a life full of love, hope, and success.

Charita Cole Brown earned a BA in English from Wesleyan University and an MAT in Early Childhood Education from Towson University in Maryland. She is now retired and lives in Baltimore with her two daughters.

Or purchase your own copy:

Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder: A Compendium of Nutritional Approaches

Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder: A Compendium of Nutritional Approaches

ISBN:

Published:

978-0965097604

2 June 2018

Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder by Eva Edelman is a state-of-the-art compendium, encompassing more than half a century of clinical experience and research by pioneering physicians worldwide. It describes the importance of each nutrient and herb to mental health, and depicts the major subtypes, their associated symptoms, chemistry, and vitamin needs; and the role of allergies, heavy metals, other toxins, and illness. It also depicts the part played by neurotransmitters, synaptic reuptake, ion transport, methylation and epigenetic factors. Here is what leaders in the field have said about Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder.

Or purchase your own copy:

Managing Your Mind, The Mental Fitness Guide

Managing Your Mind, The Mental Fitness Guide

ISBN:

Published:

978-0198527725

2 May 2018

Managing Your Mind is a book for building resilience, overcoming emotional difficulties and enabling self-development. It is for any of us who wish to understand ourselves better, to be more effective in day-to-day life, to overcome current problems; or who want to support others in these tasks. The authors have between them almost 100 years of experience helping people respond skillfully to life's challenges. Drawing on this experience as well as on cutting-edge scientific research, Managing Your Mind distills effective techniques and ideas, enabling readers to select those that suit their preferences and needs.

Or purchase your own copy:

Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life

Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life

ISBN:

Published:

978-1683961017

2 May 2018

Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life is the eagerly awaited sequel/ companion book to Forney’s 2012 best-selling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me. Whereas Marbles was a memoir about her bipolar disorder, Rock Steady turns the focus outward, offering a self-help survival guide of tips, tricks and tools by someone who has been through it all and come through stronger for it.

Or purchase your own copy:

Can I tell you about Bipolar Disorder?: A guide for friends, family and professionals

Can I tell you about Bipolar Disorder?: A guide for friends, family and professionals

ISBN:

Published:

978-1785924705

21 February 2018

GROUP MEMBER REVIEW:

Can I tell you about Bipolar Disorder? is a short family guide by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton. It is about a boy called Josh, aged 11 and his mother and father. His father is a baker and he has bipolar. The book provides Josh’s perspective about what it’s like having a parent who has bipolar.

Josh describes how his dad is sometimes extremely happy when he is having a manic episode and then his depression.

“Sometimes Dad’s illness makes me feel sad,” says Josh. “I am not scared by his illness but it makes me feel sad when I can see he is so unwell.”

The guide also gives pointers for how friends and school can help and provides a list of recommended sources for additional support.

Or purchase your own copy:

Healing for Body, Soul & Spirit: An introduction to Anthroposophic Medicine

Healing for Body, Soul & Spirit: An introduction to Anthroposophic Medicine

ISBN:

Published:

978-1782504108

21 September 2017

Conventional medicine focuses on the body's physical symptoms. But more and more patients are questioning the limitations of this approach and are exploring holistic approaches, such as anthroposophic medicine, which also addresses the human soul -- our individual thinking, will and feelings -- and the human spirit, our self-awareness and essence. Anthroposophic medicine is an extension of, not a replacement to, conventional medicine.

This comprehensive book introduces and explores the philosophy and practice of anthroposophic medicine, which is based on principles developed by Rudolf Steiner. It discusses many alternative therapies and areas of health including artistic therapies, massage, childhood illnesses, cancer and psychiatry.

Healing for Body, Soul and Spirit will inform and engage a general reader, with no medical background, who is interested in alternative and holistic approaches to human health.

Or purchase your own copy:

Anxiety for Beginners: A Personal Investigation

Anxiety for Beginners: A Personal Investigation

ISBN:

Published:

978-1509813247

4 May 2017

Foyles paperback of the year, Anxiety for Beginners offers a vivid insight into the often crippling impact of anxiety disorders, a condition that is frequently invisible, shrouded in shame and misunderstood. It serves as a guide for those who live with anxiety disorders and those who live with them by proxy.

Combining her own experiences (rendered in emotive detail) with extensive research with experts (neuroscientists, psychiatrists, psychologists and fellow sufferers – including some familiar faces), Eleanor Morgan explores not just the roots of her own anxiety, but also investigates what might be contributing to so many of us suffering around the world.

Anxiety for Beginners is, at its heart, a book about acceptance, as Morgan discovers the ways in which people can live a life that is not just manageable but enjoyable, learning to accept anxiety as part of who we are rather than spending a life fighting and being ashamed of it.

Or purchase your own copy:

The Broker Who Broke Free: Peace is found Within

The Broker Who Broke Free: Peace is found Within

ISBN:

Published:

978-1539907114

3 November 2016

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered what this life is all about? This true story follows Oliver Seligman's journey from stressed-out, money-hungry sales trader to peaceful meditating monk. Oliver thought he had it all. Money, prestige and prospects, the world was at his feet. Yet his mind was running at a hundred miles per hour, he felt empty, and knew that something was missing.

Ignoring his true calling, life smacked him over the head again and again. After several scrapes with death, he went through a profound inner transformation and found what had been missing all along.

Sometimes in our desire for success we forget what is most important to us. If you think creating the perfect life will make you happy, this book will turn your world upside down. You may find that true happiness and meaning is found in the one place you have not yet looked.

Or purchase your own copy:

Overcoming Low Self-Esteem, 2nd Edition: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques (Overcoming Books)

Overcoming Low Self-Esteem, 2nd Edition: A self-help guide using cognitive behavioural techniques (Overcoming Books)

ISBN:

Published:

978-1472119292

6 October 2016

A thoroughly enjoyable read, and [I] would recommend trainee therapists read it also, as it will increase your understanding of the treatment of low self-esteem.' BABCP Magazine

Low self-esteem can make life difficult in all sorts of ways. It can make you anxious and unhappy, tormented by doubts and self-critical thoughts. It can get in the way of feeling at ease with other people and stop you from leading the life you want to lead. It makes it hard to value and appreciate yourself in the same way you would another person you care about.

Melanie Fennell's acclaimed and bestselling self-help guide will help you to understand your low self-esteem and break out of the vicious circle of distress, unhelpful behaviour and self-destructive thinking. Using practical techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), this book will help you learn the art of self-acceptance and so transform your sense of yourself for the better.

Specifically, you will learn:
How low self-esteem develops and what keeps it going
How to question your negative thoughts and the attitudes that underlie them
How to identify your strengths and good qualities for a more balanced, kindly view of yourself

Overcoming self-help guides use clinically proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended under the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme.

Or purchase your own copy:

Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think

Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel by Changing the Way You Think

ISBN:

Published:

978-1462520428

1 October 2015

Discover simple yet powerful steps you can take to overcome emotional distress--and feel happier, calmer, and more confident. This life-changing book has already helped more than 1,200,000 readers use cognitive-behavioral therapy--one of today's most effective forms of psychotherapy--to conquer depression, anxiety, panic attacks, anger, guilt, shame, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, and relationship problems. Revised and expanded to reflect significant scientific developments of the past 20 years, the second edition contains numerous new features: expanded content on anxiety; chapters on setting personal goals and maintaining progress; happiness rating scales; gratitude journals; innovative exercises focused on mindfulness, acceptance, and forgiveness; 25 new worksheets; and much more. Mind Over Mood will help you: *Learn proven, powerful, practical strategies to transform your life. *Follow step-by-step plans to overcome depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, and shame. *Set doable personal goals and track your progress (you can photocopy the worksheets from the book or download and print additional copies). *Practice your new skills until they become second nature. Cited as “The Most Influential Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Publication” by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies and included in the UK National Health Service Bibliotherapy Program.

Or purchase your own copy:

Night School: The Life-Changing Science of Sleep

Night School: The Life-Changing Science of Sleep

ISBN:

Published:

978-1447264835

15 January 2015

Almost a third of your whole life is spent asleep. Every night you close your eyes, become oblivious to your surroundings and waste hours flying, being chased or watching all your teeth fall out – and then you wake up. What on earth is going on?

Based on exciting new peer-reviewed research, mass-participation experiments and the world’s largest archive of dream reports, Night School uncovers the truth about the sleeping brain – and gives powerful tips on how you can use those hours of apparently ‘dead’ time to change your waking life. Along the way you will discover how to learn information while you sleep, the creative potential of a six-minute nap, and what your dreams really mean.

Studies show that even a small lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on health and happiness. It’s time to banish nightmares, make the most of the missing third of your days, and get the best night’s sleep of your life.

Or purchase your own copy:

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