People ask me all the time about the best bipolar books. For a long time, I didn’t really have a list in my head, but I do now. Below, find what I consider to be the best bipolar books. These bipolar books aren’t just for people with bipolar disorder, but they are for their whole care team. Remember, as much as greater knowledge and understanding can help an individual with bipolar disorder, those things can also be critical to all those around that individual.
Best Books for Understanding Bipolar Disorder I Have Read
Here is a list of the best bipolar books I have read and can personally recommend. I believe there is a lot of insight to be gained from these books that you may not find elsewhere.
My Essential Bipolar Book
Lost Marbles: Insights into My Life with Depression & Bipolar by Natasha Tracy is listed first, which I know is a little vain. That said, many amazing things have been said about this book, and it has been recommended for those with bipolar disorder, their loved ones, and even treatment providers. You’ll find sections on what to do and not to do during depression, and hypo/mania, how to handle suicidality, and mental illness wisdom. There are also appendices that detail how to treat major depression, major depression with mixed features, major depression with psychosis, bipolar depression, and bipolar mania using treatment algorithms. These are designed to empower patients to walk into doctor’s appointments with the information they need to take control of their treatment and get better.
Overcoming Treatment Barriers: Understanding Anosognosia in Bipolar Disorder
I Am Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help! How to Help Someone Accept Treatment – 20th Anniversary Edition by Xavier Amador is a classic in mental illness circles. And it’s a classic for a reason. This book outlines how to handle anyone who is refusing treatment due to a clinical lack of insight (they believe they are not sick; anosognosia). This book is the roadmap you need if you’re dealing with this concern, which is present in at least one in five people with a serious mental illness. I learned a lot from this book, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Practical Resources: A Workbook for Bipolar Recovery and Wellness
The Depression and Bipolar Workbook: 30 Ways to Lift Your Mood & Strengthen the Brain by Chris Aiken MD (who also writes on PsychEducation.org) builds on the concept of neuroplasticity — the idea that you can physically change your brain. There is evidence that says this is possible and can help people with mental illnesses. This book was written for therapists and clients alike to learn how to recognize unique symptoms of depression and bipolar and match them with the latest advances in cognitive behavioral therapy, light and dark therapy, diet and sleep techniques, and strategies to fix out-of-sync biological clocks (and remember, bipolar disorder can be considered a circadian rhythm disorder). I would call this a best bipolar workbook.
Essential Read for the Loved Ones of a Person with Bipolar
Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner by Julie A. Fast and John D. Preston is another classic. This book is the resource you need if you can for someone with bipolar disorder. This book handles so many of the common concerns faced in these relationships and talks about medications, too. It’s designed to foster closeness and connection with your partner.
The Classic Bipolar Memoir: Personal Stories Reveal the Reality of Bipolar Disorder
Kay Redfield Jamison (a clinical psychologist) wrote An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness in 1996 and led the way for an entire genre of books: bipolar memoirs. While I don’t think her memoir is the best bipolar memoir out there, it’s the one that absolutely everyone has read. People with bipolar disorder saw themselves featured in depression or mania on the page for the first time. I highly respect Jamison but find this particular memoir to be a bit unrelatable due to the unusual privilege she has in her life. (It is still definitely work reading, however.)
Shared Perspectives: An Anthology on Life with Bipolar Disorder
Navigating Bipolar Country: Personal and Professional Perspectives on Living with Bipolar Disorder is an anthology put together by Merryl Hammond PhD. Contributors include Julie A. Fast, Victoria Maxwell, me, and many others. For those living with bipolar, supporting a family member, or treating it, navigating the journey can be unpredictable and often heartbreaking. This collection of personal testimonies takes you on a bumpy ride deep into bipolar country.
Still Depressed? You Might Have Bipolar
Why Am I Still Depressed? Recognizing and Managing the Ups and Downs of Bipolar II and Soft Bipolar Disorder by Jim Phelps MD (the originator of PsychEducation.org) is a book that lays out the basics behind bipolar disorder type II. Those with type II are often misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder (I was), and this book outlines why you might still be depressed if you’re really facing bipolar disorder and don’t know it.
For People Recovering from Depression
The Recovery Letters: Addressed to People Experiencing Depression is a compilation of letters by those with depression put together by Olivia Sagan and James Withey. The authors are anonymous, but yes, I am one of them. Addressed to “Dear You,” the inspirational and heartfelt letters provide hope and support to those experiencing depression and speak to the fact that recovery is possible.
A Bonus Best Book: A Devastating Eating Disorder Memoir
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia, by Marya Hornbacher is a shockingly authentic memoir by a person with anorexia and bulimia. I found her account to be completely engrossing, and it forced me into her head when she was very, very sick. You should carefully consider if you want to be in that head, but if you want that view, no one does it better than Hornbacher. (Hornbacher has written a bipolar memoir called Madness: A Bipolar Life as well. It, too, was devastatingly authentic to the point that I had to put it down.)
Best Bipolar Books Worth Your Time
These are books that I haven’t actually read, but I do know they are worth your time, thanks to their reputation, content, and quality authors.
A Four-Step Plan to Manage Bipolar Disorder by the OG Bipolar Author
Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability by Julie A. Fast and John Preston PsyD is Fast’s latest bipolar book and her second entry on this list. This revised and updated book has amazing reviews, and because it’s by Fast, I can guarantee it’s insightful, knowledgeable, and helpful. This book is designed to help people with bipolar disorder take permanent control of their lives.
Bipolar Disorder Devastates Generation After Generation of a Family
Lies in Silence: Lessons about Bipolar and Co-Occurring Disorders Learned Through Advocating for Appropriate Treatment for My Family by SJ Hart is an extraordinary, compelling book about how suicide and bipolar disorder have devastated three generations of a family. Hart’s story is almost incomprehensible. She is a persistently questioning voice who has unique ideas about how suicidality should be treated because she has lived it and lived around it for years.
Kick-Start Your Stalled Mental Health Journey
I haven’t had a chance to read the entirety of Your Mental Health Repair Manual: An Empowering, No-Nonsense Guide to Navigating Mental Health Care and Finding Treatments That Work for You by Pauline Lysak MD and Mark Roseman but what I’ve seen I really like. This book is approachable, candid, and grounded in evidence-based solutions that can help you explore all your treatment options: diet, exercise, therapy, supplements, meds, and many more.
We All Know It: Mental Illness Is an Asshole
Mental Illness Is an Asshole: And Other Observations by Gabe Howard is a compilation of his writings. You may know him from his award-winning podcast, Inside Bipolar Podcast, with Nicole Washington MD on PsychCentral. His observations cover everything from practical advice to family relationships to the real fears that people with mental illness experience.
For People with Bipolar or Another Mental Illness Who Refuse to Get Therapy
You Need Help!: A Step-by-Step Plan to Convince a Loved One to Get Counseling by Mark S Komrad MD is a guide designed to help someone accept professional help for their mental health. I’ve seen parts of this book, and I think it’s beneficial. It provides real-life techniques to help someone accept going to therapy. It’s not equipped to deal with anosognosia, however. For that, see I Am Not Sick, above.
What About All the Other Best Bipolar Books?
Yes, I’m aware there are many other books out there about bipolar disorder that many people would consider the “best.” Unfortunately, I’m just not familiar with all of them. You can consider this list a pretty good start. More will be added over time as I get my hands on more of them.
Are there other books that have helped you navigate life with bipolar disorder or support someone who has it? Share your recommendations on social media and tag me @natasha_tracy_writer — I’d love to expand this list with you.
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