Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Bipolar Disorder

From leading scientist-practitioners, this pragmatic, accessible book provides a complete framework for individualized assessment and treatment of bipolar disorder. It addresses the complexities of working with individuals with broadly varying histories and clinical presentations, including those who have been recently diagnosed, those who are symptomatically stable, and those who struggle day to day to achieve symptom remission. Extensive case material illustrates proven strategies for conceptualizing patients' needs and working collaboratively to help them adhere to medication treatments, recognize the early warning signs of manic and depressive episodes, build coping skills, and manage specific symptoms. The second edition is a complete revision of the original volume, updated and restructured to be even more user friendly for clinicians.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Steven T. Herron, MD(University of Arizona Health Sciences Center)
Description:An update of the first edition (1996), this book addresses specific psychotherapeutic treatment interventions for patients with bipolar disorder, with the main focus on cognitive techniques to improve outcomes for these patients.
Purpose:The authors provided this update due to the ever-expanding accumulation of knowledge in the field. It is meant to be more functionally useful in clinical situations than its predecessor, specifically addressing disease stages for a more focused approach to patient management.
Audience:While enlightening for those having family members or loved ones with bipolar disorder, or experiencing the illness themselves, this book is geared primarily toward the treating clinician, namely psychiatrists and psychologists familiar with the use of CBT as a treatment tool.
Features:Eliminating the "session-by-session instructions" from the prior edition, the authors have focused their attention on the various stages of bipolar disorder and management techniques tailored to periods of depression, mania, prevention, and relapse. Chapters include medication information for nonprescribers, as well as information on how to address stress management and interpersonal communication. Each chapter ends with a summary of "Key Points for the Therapist to Remember" and "Points to Discuss with Patients.
Assessment:The changes in this edition are quite useful and instructive. The layout enables the reader to concentrate on areas of interest without spending valuable time rehashing concepts already solidified. The tables and figures are easy to interpret, and are functionally useful in clinical practice, with well-explained examples. In addition, the appendix, which contains a protocol for 20 sessions, provides a handy guide for keeping therapists on track, especially those with less clinical experience. The only drawback seems to be the importance of a general understanding of the basic CBT principles before one can fully appreciate and use this book.

Monica Ramirez Basco, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, author, lecturer, and researcher. She recently joined the psychology faculty at the University of Texas at Arlington. She is an internationally recognized expert in cognitive-behavioral therapy and a founding fellow of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Basco is the author of The Bipolar Workbook: Tools for Controlling Your Mood Swings and Never Good Enough: How to Use Perfectionism to Your Advantage without Letting It Ruin Your Life, and coauthor of Getting Your Life Back: The Complete Guide to Recovery from Depression.

A. John Rush, MD, is Professor of  Psychiatry and Vice Chair, Department of Clinical Sciences, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. His work has focused on the diagnosis and psychotherapeutic, psychopharmacological, and somatic treatment of depression and other mood disorders. He has authored 10 books and over 400 journal articles. Dr. Rush's internationally recognized work has received numerous awards. Most recently, his research has focused on longer-term disease management programs, including multistep treatment algorithms for bipolar and major depressive disorders.