Reboot: A Novel of Bipolar Disorder

After my girlfriend, whom we will call Elle, had her first full-blown manic episode, I began to read several books on bipolar disorder. These included books on medications and the use of ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), which Elle received after being involuntarily committed by her parents. In her manic states, typically after several days with little or no sleep, she would often end up getting arrested, thrown into jail—and, when the police realized her state, put in a mental hospital. Given my relationship with a woman experiencing the disorder, Jane Thompsonʼs Reboot: A Novel of Bipolar Disorder resonated quite strongly with me. Thompsonʼs book offers a fictional but true-to-life account, with her writing clearly based on her own struggle with the illness. What struck me most is how Thompson reveals, in detail, the importance of what took me years to learn: that, due to the very nature of bipolar disorder, the person who is bipolar does not recognize this and may often forget or highly distort what happens in their manic state. In their euphoria they may imagine and remember, quite incorrectly, that everything was oh-so-wonderful, which is often quite far from the case. Particularly for an adult with bipolar disorder, recognizing the illness is a key step in the possibility of regaining stability and mental health. Without this recognition, an adult with bipolar disorder may quit taking medication, not prepare for the next manic episode, or put themselvesÂ...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Bipolar Book Reviews Disorders General Medications Mood Stabilizers Personal Stories Personality Appointments Bipolar Disorder Bipolar Illness Book Of Hope Close Friends Correct Medication Electroconvulsive Therapy Euphoria Source Type: news