Book Review: Welcome to the Jungle

Imagine that you just found out you had bipolar disorder. How might you feel? An unexpected diagnosis often throws us for a loop. As we incorporate this new information about ourselves, we might experience fear, confusion and even denial about what our diagnosis means for our lives. But perhaps most of all, we may find ourselves asking the question: now what? Luckily, for those diagnosed with bipolar disorder, that is the question Hilary Smith sets out to answer in her newest edition of Welcome to the Jungle with a new subtitle, Facing Bipolar Without Freaking Out. In 2010, Smith’s blunt, insightful and witty first edition of Welcome to the Jungle offered readers a unique perspective on what it means to have bipolar disorder. Seven years later, Smith has revisited her original text with a greater sense of introspection and a more nuanced approach to her diagnosis and how best to deal with it. “I wrote the first edition of Welcome to the Jungle when I was twenty-three…Since then, my thinking on what we call mental illness has evolved quite a bit,” writes Smith. While retaining the quirky style and delightful imagery of the first edition, Smith’s thoughtful exploration of what bipolar can mean for an individual drives this revised version of the text. Welcome to the Jungle resists categorization. Certainly it contains a fair share of useful strategies and recommendations for individuals both newly diagnosed and those who have been living with their bipolar di...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Bipolar Book Reviews Disorders Mindfulness Self-Help Source Type: news