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| Foreword | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| Introduction | |
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| Do You Have a "Mild" Form of Bipolar Disorder? | |
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| Understanding the Mood Spectrum and How It Can Help You | |
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| Understanding the Middle of the Mood Spectrum | |
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| Using the Mood Spectrum to Diagnose Bipolar Variations | |
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| Naming and Understanding the Different Types of Bipolar Disorder | |
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| Can You Be a Little Bipolar? Recognizing Hypomania | |
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| The Difference Between Hypomania and Mania | |
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| What Does Hypomania Really Look Like? Identifying Symptoms | |
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| When Hypomania Is Barely Detectable | |
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| Bipolar III: Antidepressant-Induced Mania or Hypomania | |
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| How Brief Can a Bipolar Phase Actually Be? | |
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| Depression and Hypomania at the Same Time: Recognizing Mixed States | |
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| No Mania or Hypomania? Understanding "Soft" Bipolar Disorder | |
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| Looking at the "Soft Signs" of Bipolar Disorder | |
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| Why You Should Know About Soft Bipolarity | |
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| Hormonally Related Mood Conditions and Soft Bipolarity | |
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| Can You Still Be Bipolar Without Depression? Diagnosing "Normal" | |
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| Making Your Diagnosis | |
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| Why Searching for Hypomania Can Be Difficult | |
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| Getting an Accurate History: How Family and Friends Can Help You | |
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| What If They Call Me Bipolar When I Really Am Not? | |
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| Bipolar Tests | |
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| What Else Could It Be? Ruling Out Conditions That Mimic Bipolar Disorder | |
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| Medical Conditions That Look Like Bipolar Disorder | |
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| Medications That Can Produce Bipolar-Like Symptoms | |
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| Psychiatric Conditions That Might Explain Your Symptoms | |
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| Conditions That Commonly Occur with Bipolar Disorder | |
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| Finding and Using the Right Treatment | |
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| Getting Help: How You Can Work with Your Doctor | |
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| What Your Doctor Needs to Know About You | |
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| Strategies for Working with Your Doctor | |
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| Working with Your Doctor Over Time | |
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| Where to Start: Guidelines for Choosing Treatment | |
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| Evaluating Claims by Looking for Evidence | |
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| Considering the Risks and Benefits of a Treatment | |
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| What Causes Mood Disorders Anyway? | |
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| General Guidelines for Managing Bipolar Variations | |
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| Three Main Strategies for Treating Complex Mood Disorders | |
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| Mood Stabilizers: The Core Ingredient in Medication Treatment | |
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| Examining the Mood Stabilizer Menu | |
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| How to Choose from All These Options | |
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| Balancing Hope and Realism When Using Mood Stabilizers | |
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| How Long Do You Need to Take This Stuff? | |
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| Can Trying a Mood Stabilizer Make Things Permanently Worse? | |
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| What You Need to Know When Considering Antidepressants | |
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| When Depression Is the Dominant Symptom | |
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| The Antidepressant Controversies | |
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| Managing Weight Gain from Medications or Other Causes | |
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| Not Just the Medications' Fault | |
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| How to Handle Weight Gain | |
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| Blocking Weight Gain with Antidote Medications | |
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| Simple Lifestyle Changes That Can Improve Symptoms | |
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| Watching Sleep, Light, and Darkness Closely | |
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| Stress Management: Crucial to Stabilizing Moods | |
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| Limiting or Eliminating Mind-Altering Substances | |
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| How to Use Psychotherapy Across the Mood Spectrum | |
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| Five Effective Psychotherapies | |
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| If Several Are Available, How Do You Choose? | |
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| When Should You Start-and Stop? | |
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| Exercise: Not the Usual Rap | |
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| The Best Evidence You Ever Heard | |
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| Are You Ready for a Simple Program? | |
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| How Family and Friends Can Help | |
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| First, Do No Harm | |
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| Don't Just Do Something, Sit There | |
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| Ask, Don't Tell: Collaborating | |
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| Setting Boundaries | |
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| The Problem of Insight | |
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| Concluding Thoughts | |
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| Selected References | |
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| Index | |