Living life to the fullest with bipolar disorder is possible!
In this candid, humorous, and insightful book, author, political science lecturer, and "Dudeist Priest" Arch Grieve provides readers with a first-hand account of the many lessons he has learned (often the hard way) as a person living with bipolar disorder. This guidebook is a must-read for anyone who has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder or knows someone who has. Arch provides readers with real-life cautionary tales, practical advice, and hope that they can do more than just "get by" with bipolar disorder – they can actually thrive in it by capitalizing on the creativity, energy, and unique ways of thinking they possess by virtue of their condition. He also provides bipolar sufferers with several tools they can use to help manage their illness more effectively.
The book also includes practical tools that will help you gain control over your illness, including a bipolar mood scale, a mania contract example, a suicide safety plan template, and a mood tracker.
Anyone struggling with bipolar disorder will benefit greatly from reading the book. Still, fans of the hit Coen Brothers film, The Big Lebowski, will appreciate even more how Arch draws upon his Dudeist faith (and a healthy dose of Lebowski movie references) to help him abide, even when someone pisses on the rug, man.
The most important thing this book provides is hope for people struggling with bipolar disorder, a mental illness that bears the unfortunate distinction of being the one that claims the most victims through suicide with a rate that stands at nearly 20%. This doesn't have to be the case, however, and this book will provide bipolar readers (and their friends and family members) a path forward out of despair and show them, step-by-step, how to build a full and complete life that they can actually thrive in. It'll also make you laugh to beat the band. Parts, anyway. In short, it's just the right book for its time and place.
