An excellent book that shifts between a memoir and a reference guide for the reader. It discusses the struggle that one family endures with their son’s undiagnosed manic depression disorder. It takes the reader on a journey that is told by the mother, which is both heartbreaking and realistic. Countless trips are made to various doctors and twice she has had to hospitalize her son. In desperation, the mother nearly loses herself trying to save her child. Every other chapter is filled with detailed information that describes the basics of the disease, to later discuss legal rights of a hospital patient. The authors leave out little information which is useful and flows smoothly with the story of the main character. The book also provides a realistic outlook on the future for people with mental illness. It does not sugar coat the future, but does demonstrate the importance of medication and therapy. With these two approaches a person can have a fairly comfortable life. The authors provide examples of people who have learned to live with their disease and have a functional life at the same time.

I enjoyed this book for its honesty and realistic viewpoints. I liked how the authors did not try to paint a pretty picture, like some people tend to do. I found great respect in the fact that the mother was more honest about having to look into group homes, rather than planning for her son to be a rocket scientist. It seems like some parents are in a world of denial for years and years. (This coming from a parent who has a child that is bipolar at 9.) I found the story to be very interesting and heartbreaking. I am wondering if there is a book that has any updates on how her son is doing these days. I highly recommend this book for parents and teachers in the special needs community. It is a great book and has a lot of useful information. ( )

Excellent resource for anyone dealing with bipolar disorder (formerly called manic depression). Some of the medical usage is outdated, however there are some excellent resources and the story of Mark, and how his family members tried their best to support him, will pull at your heart strings! Very good read. ( )

This is the best reference book I came across for understanding manic depression. Its the one that I recommended to my family. My family didn't read it, but that's quite another issue. ( )