Our lending library.

Explaining how to overcome the vicious cycle of depression, a collection of helpful strategies reveals how to prepare oneself mentally for working while depressed, how to structure one's environment to work more easily, how to work effectively with others, how to prevent depression, and more.

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An Unquiet Mind is a first rate memoir written by renowned US clinical psychologist and bipolar disorder researcher Kay Redfield Jamison. Published in 1995, Jamison writes eloquently, bravely and wisely about her experiences with bipolar disorder and the effects it has had on her life and her personal relationships.

Her description of depression is insightful, authentic and wholly accurate.  “Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it bleeds relationships through suspicion, lack of confidence and self-respect, the inability to enjoy life, to walk or talk or think normally, the exhaustion, the night terrors, the day terrors.”

Not only does she write about the detrimental effects of bipolar disorder, but she also highlights what could be perceived as positive aspects, too. In her memoir, Jamison describes the joy of her manic highs, which included a trip to Saturn in her mind. “Even now, I can see in my mind’s rather peculiar eye an extraordinary shattering and shifting of light; inconstant but ravishing colours laid out across miles of circling rings.”

Like many of those diagnosed with bipolar, Jamison initially resisted taking the medication lithium to manage her symptoms. It was in her early 30s that Jamison began taking medication regularly.

It is easy to relate to An Unquiet Mind and her experiences will certainly resonate with those who have bipolar disorder. This book is highly recommended for anyone suffering from bipolar disorder and/or wants to find out more about what it feels like to have the illness.

We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain.

If you are living with bipolar illness or have a family member with the illness, this book may prove to be of some help. Whilst living with a mental health condition can be extremely difficult it can be a great teacher. By the end of the book you will realise that no mental illness defines you as a person. You’re on the cusp of a life worth living, it’s just a matter of making the next right step.

We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis, and mental illnesses are on the rise. But what causes mental illness? And why are mental health problems so hard to treat? Drawing on decades of research, Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer outlines a revolutionary new understanding that for the first time unites our existing knowledge about mental illness within a single framework: Mental disorders are metabolic disorders of the brain.

Most people diagnosed with bipolar disorder are sent home with the name of a doctor and multiple prescriptions. However, few people with bipolar disorder are able to find long-term stability with medications alone.

Bipolar disorder researcher and expert Julie A. Fast, who was diagnosed with the illness at age thirty-one, and specialist John Preston, PsyD, offer the pioneering Take Charge program used around the world to help readers promote stability, reduce mood swings, increase work ability, decrease health care costs, and improve relationships.

Julie spoke with our group via Zoom in August 2024 about diet and bipolar. She is one of the best-selling authors around bipolar in the world.

It is well-known that US culture is a dominant force and a world-wide phenomenon. But it is possible that its most troubling export has yet to be accounted for?

America has been the world leader in generating new mental health treatments and modern theories: it exports psychopharmaceuticals and categorises disorders, thereby defining mental illness and health. The outcome of these efforts is just now coming to light: it turns out that the US has not only been changing the way the world talks about and treats mental illness -- it has been changing the mental illnesses themselves.

Watters travels from China to Tanzania to bring home the unsettling conclusion that the virus is the US: as Americanized ways of treating mental illnesses are introduced, they are is fact spreading the diseases and shaping, if not creating, the mental illnesses of our time.

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Can I tell you about Bipolar Disorder? is a short family guide by Sonia Mainstone-Cotton. It is about a boy called Josh, aged 11 and his mother and father. His father is a baker and he has bipolar. The book provides Josh’s perspective about what it’s like having a parent who has bipolar.

Josh describes how his dad is sometimes extremely happy when he is having a manic episode and then his depression.

“Sometimes Dad’s illness makes me feel sad,” says Josh. “I am not scared by his illness but it makes me feel sad when I can see he is so unwell.”

The guide also gives pointers for how friends and school can help and provides a list of recommended sources for additional support.

Shining a light on mania, depression and everything in between, this no-nonsense guide to life with bipolar disorder gives advice on how to manage the condition and work towards stability.

Drawing on his own experiences, Kai Conibear discusses the realities of life with bipolar and shares practical tips and advice. He explains different symptoms, including mania, hypomania, psychosis and depression, and gives advice on managing relationships, facing stigma and discrimination and learning to be comfortable with stability. The book also contains a chapter on how friends, family and caregivers can support someone with bipolar practically.

Whether you suspect you have bipolar disorder, have been recently diagnosed or have been living with the condition for many years, this honest but hopeful guide is a must read.

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Befriending Bipolar is a highly interesting and readable account of Oliver Seligman’s experience with bipolar.  Oliver is a monk, author and inspirational speaker and was diagnosed with Type One bipolar in the 1990s, when he was seventeen.

Oliver eloquently recounts his past struggles with bipolar and of his experiences. As a young man, he spent three months in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Oliver describes the anxiety about going home after being there. “I felt safe in that strangely unpredictable environment, even when patients were screaming or security guards running.”

In a later part of Befriending Bipolar, Oliver describes how in his late thirties, he stopped taking lithium for two years. During that time, Oliver experienced around thirty different realities a day, ‘flipping between them every few seconds like a slideshow’.

Befriending Bipolar is an absorbing book which consists of sixteen chapters. At the end of each chapter, Oliver summarises his learnings. These range from talking about what has helped him to manage bipolar and Befriending Bipolar offers useful advice including asking for help which Oliver acknowledges is difficult to do.

Oliver manages bipolar with a combination of lithium, meditation and therapy and leaves the reader with hope as he describes how he has found balance in his life.

Oliver is a member of Bipolar Edinburgh and wrote our Newly Diagnosed with Bipolar guide.

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The Rabbit Listened is an empathetic and lovely children’s book. Written by Cori Doerrfeld, it is a treat from start to finish. The moving front cover shows a small child, gender unspecified, cuddling and being cuddled by a rabbit.

Taylor is the book’s main character. He or she likes to spend time building intricate brick towers. Then disaster strikes! This paves the way for many animal friends to suggest how Taylor should deal with the situation. However, advice is not what Taylor needs or wants.

Finally, it is Rabbit who is able to provide Taylor with comfort and help.

Through the use of repetitive text and simple language, The Rabbit Listened brilliantly explains that sometimes a situation doesn’t require words or instant action. The book teaches both young and old readers about the importance of empathy – of providing a presence and an ear. By simply being there and listening, you can help a loved one to feel better, and that by giving someone the space and support to empower themselves, they will come up with the best solution.

The Rabbit Listened is a great book to read with young children of any age.

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Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered what this life is all about? This true story follows Oliver Seligman's journey from stressed-out, money-hungry sales trader to peaceful meditating monk. Oliver thought he had it all. Money, prestige and prospects, the world was at his feet. Yet his mind was running at a hundred miles per hour, he felt empty, and knew that something was missing.

Ignoring his true calling, life smacked him over the head again and again. After several scrapes with death, he went through a profound inner transformation and found what had been missing all along.

Sometimes in our desire for success we forget what is most important to us. If you think creating the perfect life will make you happy, this book will turn your world upside down. You may find that true happiness and meaning is found in the one place you have not yet looked.

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Befriending Bipolar is a highly interesting and readable account of Oliver Seligman’s experience with bipolar.  Oliver is a monk, author and inspirational speaker and was diagnosed with Type One bipolar in the 1990s, when he was seventeen.

Oliver eloquently recounts his past struggles with bipolar and of his experiences. As a young man, he spent three months in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Oliver describes the anxiety about going home after being there. “I felt safe in that strangely unpredictable environment, even when patients were screaming or security guards running.”

In a later part of Befriending Bipolar, Oliver describes how in his late thirties, he stopped taking lithium for two years. During that time, Oliver experienced around thirty different realities a day, ‘flipping between them every few seconds like a slideshow’.

Befriending Bipolar is an absorbing book which consists of sixteen chapters. At the end of each chapter, Oliver summarises his learnings. These range from talking about what has helped him to manage bipolar and Befriending Bipolar offers useful advice including asking for help which Oliver acknowledges is difficult to do.

Oliver manages bipolar with a combination of lithium, meditation and therapy and leaves the reader with hope as he describes how he has found balance in his life.

Oliver is a member of Bipolar Edinburgh and wrote our Newly Diagnosed with Bipolar guide.

Mindfulness Finding Peace in a Frantic World, Wherever You Go There You Are, The Headspace Guide to Mindfulness & Meditation, 10% Happier 4 Books Collection Set:

Mindfulness Finding Peace in a Frantic World:
MINDFULNESS reveals a set of simple yet powerful practices that can be incorporated into daily life to help break the cycle of unhappiness, stress, anxiety and mental exhaustion and promote genuine joie de vivre. It's the kind of happiness that gets into your bones. It seeps into everything you do and helps you meet the worst that life can throw at you with new courage.

Wherever You Go There You Are:
Mindfulness is considered the heart of Buddhist meditation. But its essence is universal and of deep practical benefit to everyone. In Wherever You Go, There You Are, Jon Kabat-Zinn maps out a simple path for cultivating mindfulness in our lives, and awakening us to the unique beauty and possibilities of each present moment.

The Headspace Guide to Mindfulness & Meditation:
Demystifying meditation for the modern world: an accessible and practical route to improved health, happiness and well being, in as little as 10 minutes.Andy Puddicombe, founder of the celebrated Headspace, is on a mission: to get people to take 10 minutes out of their day to sit in the now.

10% Happier:
After having a nationally televised panic attack, Harris knew he had to make some changes. A lifelong non-believer, he found himself on a bizarre adventure and realised that the sources of his problems was the very thing he always thought was his greatest asset: the incessant, insatiable voice in his head, which had propelled him through the ranks of a hyper-competitive business.

During her final semester of college, Charita Brown suffered a psychotic episode frighteningly reminiscent of her grandmother's own breakdown and subsequent hospitalization. Afterward, she was diagnosed with an extreme form of bipolar disorder. Vowing to remain honest, Charita details her struggle after her diagnosis--a life full of love, hope, and success.

Charita Cole Brown earned a BA in English from Wesleyan University and an MAT in Early Childhood Education from Towson University in Maryland. She is now retired and lives in Baltimore with her two daughters.

This biography does not gloss over or glamorise mental illness, instead Graham Morgan highlights that people can, and do, live full and positive lives.

Join Graham through his recollections of detention under the Mental Health act, learning to live with a new family, and coping with the symptoms that he still struggles to accept are an illness. He takes your through his preparations to address the United Nations in his role working with the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland.

Graham Morgan has an MBE for services to mental health, and helped to write the Scottish Mental Health (2003) Care and Treatment Act.

This is the Act under which he is now detained.

Identify, understand, and lift your mood with this powerful new approach to managing mental health

Mood mapping simply involves plotting one's feelings against one's energy levels, to determine current mood. This book then offers the necessary tools to lift a low mood, so improving mental health and wellbeing. The author developed this technique as a result of her own diagnosis of bipolar disorder, or manic depression, and of overcoming it, which led her to seek ways to improve the mental health of others. This positive book illustrates the five keys to moods, through which readers can learn to identify the physical or emotional factors that affect moods and prevent low mood triggers; the Miller Mood Map, to visually map a mood in order to increase self-awareness; and practical ways to implement change to alleviate low mood. Mood mapping is an essential life skill, and understanding it will enables readers to be happier, calmer, and more positive.

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Extensive research conducted over 25 All the help you need to conquer your sleep problems and start living life to the full. Poor sleep is one of the most common health problems and can leave you feeling exhausted, stressed and run-down. While prescribed medications and over-the-counter remedies rarely offer lasting benefits, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can help enormously and is the treatment of choice for insomnia.

Develop good pre-bedtime routines. The most effective relaxation techniques.

Establish a new sleeping and waking pattern.

Deal with a racing mind..

Use sleeping pills more effectively..

Handle jet lag and sleepwalking.

Depression is a deceptively common illness. At some point in life, one out of every five people will struggle with bouts of depression, and nearly twice as many women will be affected as men. Unfortunately, more than half of the cases of depression are not even diagnosed let alone treated.

This clear, sensitive and thorough book helps people understand their emotional problems, and gives them the hope and direction they need to get the proper treatment. Packed with stories, information and treatment resources, the guide offers clear advice on the difference between normal low moods and depressive disorders. It includes reassuring advice on medications, measured but constructive consideration of complementary remedies, and chapters on depression in the elderly and on depression in teens.

Conventional medicine focuses on the body's physical symptoms. But more and more patients are questioning the limitations of this approach and are exploring holistic approaches, such as anthroposophic medicine, which also addresses the human soul -- our individual thinking, will and feelings -- and the human spirit, our self-awareness and essence. Anthroposophic medicine is an extension of, not a replacement to, conventional medicine.

This comprehensive book introduces and explores the philosophy and practice of anthroposophic medicine, which is based on principles developed by Rudolf Steiner. It discusses many alternative therapies and areas of health including artistic therapies, massage, childhood illnesses, cancer and psychiatry.

Healing for Body, Soul and Spirit will inform and engage a general reader, with no medical background, who is interested in alternative and holistic approaches to human health.

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The Mindful Way through Depression draws on the collective wisdom of four internationally renowned cognitive therapy and mindfulness experts, including bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn, to help you break the mental habits that can lead to despair.

This authoritative, easy-to-use self-help program is based on methods clinically proven to reduce the recurrence of chronic unhappiness. Informative chapters reveal the hidden psychological mechanisms that cause depression and demonstrate powerful ways to strengthen your resilience in the face of life's misfortunes.

Kabat-Zinn lends his calm, familiar voice to the accompanying CD of guided meditations, making this a complete package for anyone looking to regain a sense of balance and contentment.

GROUP MEMBER REVIEW:

The Mindful Way through Depression draws on the collective wisdom of four internationally renowned cognitive therapy and mindfulness experts, including bestselling author Jon Kabat-Zinn, to help you break the mental habits that can lead to despair.

This authoritative, easy-to-use self-help program is based on methods clinically proven to reduce the recurrence of chronic unhappiness. Informative chapters reveal the hidden psychological mechanisms that cause depression and demonstrate powerful ways to strengthen your resilience in the face of life's misfortunes.

Kabat-Zinn lends his calm, familiar voice to the accompanying CD of guided meditations, making this a complete package for anyone looking to regain a sense of balance and contentment.

Depression: The Way Out of Your Prison gives us a way of understanding our depression which matches our experience and which enables us to take charge of our life and change it. Dorothy Rowe shows us that depression is not an illness or a mental disorder but a defence against pain and fear, which we can use whenever we suffer a disaster and discover that our life is not what we thought it was.

Depression is an unwanted consequence of how we see ourselves and the world. By understanding how we have interpreted events in our life we can choose to change our interpretations and thus create for ourselves a happier, more fulfilling life.

Depression: The Way Out of Your Prison is for depressed people, their family and friends, and for all professionals and non-professionals who work with depressed people.

Foyles paperback of the year, Anxiety for Beginners offers a vivid insight into the often crippling impact of anxiety disorders, a condition that is frequently invisible, shrouded in shame and misunderstood. It serves as a guide for those who live with anxiety disorders and those who live with them by proxy.

Combining her own experiences (rendered in emotive detail) with extensive research with experts (neuroscientists, psychiatrists, psychologists and fellow sufferers – including some familiar faces), Eleanor Morgan explores not just the roots of her own anxiety, but also investigates what might be contributing to so many of us suffering around the world.

Anxiety for Beginners is, at its heart, a book about acceptance, as Morgan discovers the ways in which people can live a life that is not just manageable but enjoyable, learning to accept anxiety as part of who we are rather than spending a life fighting and being ashamed of it.

A thoroughly enjoyable read, and [I] would recommend trainee therapists read it also, as it will increase your understanding of the treatment of low self-esteem.' BABCP Magazine

Low self-esteem can make life difficult in all sorts of ways. It can make you anxious and unhappy, tormented by doubts and self-critical thoughts. It can get in the way of feeling at ease with other people and stop you from leading the life you want to lead. It makes it hard to value and appreciate yourself in the same way you would another person you care about.

Melanie Fennell's acclaimed and bestselling self-help guide will help you to understand your low self-esteem and break out of the vicious circle of distress, unhelpful behaviour and self-destructive thinking. Using practical techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), this book will help you learn the art of self-acceptance and so transform your sense of yourself for the better.

Specifically, you will learn:
How low self-esteem develops and what keeps it going
How to question your negative thoughts and the attitudes that underlie them
How to identify your strengths and good qualities for a more balanced, kindly view of yourself

Overcoming self-help guides use clinically proven techniques to treat long-standing and disabling conditions, both psychological and physical. Many guides in the Overcoming series are recommended under the Reading Well Books on Prescription scheme.

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong challenge--but it doesn't have to rule your life. Find the science-based information you need in the revised third edition of this indispensable guide. Trusted authority Dr. David J. Miklowitz shares proven strategies for managing your illness or supporting a loved one with the disorder. Learn specific steps to cope with mood episodes, reduce recurrences, avoid misdiagnosis, get the most out of treatment, resolve family conflicts, and make lifestyle changes to stay well. Updated throughout, the third edition has a new chapter on kids and teens; the latest facts on medications and therapy, including important advances in personalized care; and expanded coverage of the bipolar II subtype. It features boxes on complementary and alternative treatments and provides downloadable practical tools.

Discover simple yet powerful steps you can take to overcome emotional distress--and feel happier, calmer, and more confident. This life-changing book has already helped more than 1,200,000 readers use cognitive-behavioral therapy--one of today's most effective forms of psychotherapy--to conquer depression, anxiety, panic attacks, anger, guilt, shame, low self-esteem, eating disorders, substance abuse, and relationship problems. Revised and expanded to reflect significant scientific developments of the past 20 years, the second edition contains numerous new features: expanded content on anxiety; chapters on setting personal goals and maintaining progress; happiness rating scales; gratitude journals; innovative exercises focused on mindfulness, acceptance, and forgiveness; 25 new worksheets; and much more. Mind Over Mood will help you: *Learn proven, powerful, practical strategies to transform your life. *Follow step-by-step plans to overcome depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, and shame. *Set doable personal goals and track your progress (you can photocopy the worksheets from the book or download and print additional copies). *Practice your new skills until they become second nature. Cited as “The Most Influential Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Publication” by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies and included in the UK National Health Service Bibliotherapy Program.

Almost a third of your whole life is spent asleep. Every night you close your eyes, become oblivious to your surroundings and waste hours flying, being chased or watching all your teeth fall out – and then you wake up. What on earth is going on?

Based on exciting new peer-reviewed research, mass-participation experiments and the world’s largest archive of dream reports, Night School uncovers the truth about the sleeping brain – and gives powerful tips on how you can use those hours of apparently ‘dead’ time to change your waking life. Along the way you will discover how to learn information while you sleep, the creative potential of a six-minute nap, and what your dreams really mean.

Studies show that even a small lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on health and happiness. It’s time to banish nightmares, make the most of the missing third of your days, and get the best night’s sleep of your life.

Stress, anxiety and depression are among the most common reasons for people to see the doctor. The drugs targeting these conditions are pharmaceutical bestsellers. Yet a majority of patients would like to be able to heal without taking drugs or engaging in therapy that involves talking about their problems. Dr Servan-Schreiber gathers together the answers to questions about alternatives to drugs and talk therapy. He discusses only treatment methods he has used with patients himself, methods which have been proven to work in clinical studies. Written with case histories, this book should make those who dismiss alternative medicine think again and provide those those who are looking for help without taking drugs and without talk therapy with answers.

1976 - Growing Up Bipolar is a disturbing, but darkly humorous and life-affirming mental health memoir by Mark Fleming, a Scottish writer and musician.

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his 20s, Fleming takes the reader into bipolar's depths of depression and unnatural highs of mania, and is candid about his experiences of locked psych wards, the debilitating side-effects of anti-psychotic drugs, and the terrifying places his deluded mind took him to.

Mark is a member of Bipolar Edinburgh and runs our successful Creative Writing Workshops.

Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life is the eagerly awaited sequel/ companion book to Forney’s 2012 best-selling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me. Whereas Marbles was a memoir about her bipolar disorder, Rock Steady turns the focus outward, offering a self-help survival guide of tips, tricks and tools by someone who has been through it all and come through stronger for it.

A practical self-help guide to the prevention and treatment of depression.

Depression affects a very many people, either directly or when depression strikes a friend or family member. Windy Dryden has helped thousands overcome negative emotions through his popular books underpinned by Rational Emotional Behavioural Therapy. Now, with Sarah Opie, he turns this tried and tested approach to help convert the unhealthy thinking that lies behind depression to a more positive outlook on life.

Depressive mood swings can affect people of both sexes and every age. This book describes the causes, symptoms and treatment of depressive moods. Dr McKeon discusses fully the ways in which mood swings can be recognized - the signs of depression and its opposite, an unnatural elation. He also reveals the problems that can arise if the illness is not diagnosed - it may lead to alcohol dependence, overspending, sexual excess, and even, if the depression is deep enough, to suicide. He gives advice on how patients and their families can learn to cope and points out that most sufferers come to term with and accept the problem.

The new updated and fully revised edition of this bestselling title. Poor self-esteem can sabotage relationships and careers, cause self-destructive behaviour and can hold us back from achieving our full potential. In this new updated and fully revised edition of this bestselling title Lindenfield helps us to recover from a deep-seated hurt and cope with knocks to our pride. The beginnings of poor self-esteem usually lie far back in our childhood, but our confidence can easily be knocked in our adult life by criticism and trauma. A practical program that can make us feel more energized and self-reliant than ever before; and ultimately, overcome our doubts and fears to achieve self-fulfilment.

'Sylvia Plath with the ego of Madonna' NY Times Book Review '...a book with the same relevance and resonance as On the Road, Catch 22 and Generation X' NME 'A brilliant feminist writer' Julie Birchill Prozac Nation is a collective cry for help which is both harrowing and hilarious. It gives voice to the high incidence of depression amongst young people who are fully entrenched in the culture of divorce, economic instability and AIDS. Writing with a vengeance, Elizabeth Wurtzel will not go gentle into that good night. She wants off medication; she wants a family and most definitely a life worth living.

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The relationship between bipolar disorder and creativity is extensively explored in Touched with Fire by Kay Redfield Jamison. Originally published in 1993, Jamison refers to bipolar disorder as manic depressive illness. Jamison debates and argues the connection between bipolar disorder and artistic creativity but also warns that “labeling as manic-depressive anyone who is unusually creative, accomplished, energetic, intense, moody or eccentric both diminishes the notion of individuality within the arts and trivializes a very serious, often deadly illness.”

Jamison notes that there is a common concern among some writers and artists that if their illness is treated, they will no longer be as creative as they once were. She explains that some concerns stem from a misunderstanding of the actions and side effects of medication, while others are based on a romanticised notion of ‘madness’ that does not ‘take into account the severity and consequences of untreated manic depressive illness’.

Warning! Touched with Fire is not an easy read. Packed full of quotes, literary passages and poetry by writers as diverse as Leo Tolstoy, Robert Burns, Sylvia Plath and Gerard Manley Hopkins, Touched with Fire is an education. Though these writers have long passed, their words, which vividly describe how it feels, and what it means to be creative and living with a what can be debilitating illness, live on.

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An Unquiet Mind is a first rate memoir written by renowned US clinical psychologist and bipolar disorder researcher Kay Redfield Jamison. Published in 1995, Jamison writes eloquently, bravely and wisely about her experiences with bipolar disorder and the effects it has had on her life and her personal relationships.

Her description of depression is insightful, authentic and wholly accurate.  “Depression is awful beyond words or sounds or images...it bleeds relationships through suspicion, lack of confidence and self-respect, the inability to enjoy life, to walk or talk or think normally, the exhaustion, the night terrors, the day terrors.”

Not only does she write about the detrimental effects of bipolar disorder, but she also highlights what could be perceived as positive aspects, too. In her memoir, Jamison describes the joy of her manic highs, which included a trip to Saturn in her mind. “Even now, I can see in my mind’s rather peculiar eye an extraordinary shattering and shifting of light; inconstant but ravishing colours laid out across miles of circling rings.”

Like many of those diagnosed with bipolar, Jamison initially resisted taking the medication lithium to manage her symptoms. It was in her early 30s that Jamison began taking medication regularly.

It is easy to relate to An Unquiet Mind and her experiences will certainly resonate with those who have bipolar disorder. This book is highly recommended for anyone suffering from bipolar disorder and/or wants to find out more about what it feels like to have the illness.

'Completely compelling and powerful, and hard to put down.' Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, prize-winning author of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain

- Who are we if our brain fails?
- How do we think?
- How do we feel?
- How do we move, if we move at all?
- What happens when we lose our mind?

When renowned neuroscientist Barbara Lipska's melanoma spread to her brain it started to play tricks on her. The expert on mental illness - a specialist in how the brain operates - experienced what it is like to go mad. Analyzing the science of the mind and the biology of the brain alongisde Dr Lipska's own extraordinary story, this is a fascinating account of what happens when the brain goes awry.

'Oliver Sacks-meets-When Breath Becomes Air ... Barbara Lipska's remarkable story illuminates the many mysteries of our fragile yet resilient brains.' Lisa Genova, bestselling author of Still Alice and Every Note Played

David Lovelace, along with his brother and both his parents, is bipolar. This is his extraordinary and vivid memoir of life within his memorable, maddening, loving and unique family.

Full Blown is Lovelace's poignant, humorous, and vivid account of growing up and coming to terms with the highs and lows of manic depression.

David's father was a Princeton-trained theology professor deemed too eccentric for the ministry and his mother battled depression all her life. Manic episodes were part of family life - they called them the 'whim-whams'. David was a teenager when his first serious depression hit, and at college when he first became manic. He ran to escape it – to Mexico, South America and then New York, to drugs and alcohol – before he realised the futility of running.

A father himself, a son and a brother, David's matter-of-fact approach to growing up surrounded by the unique creativity often sparked by manic depression is compelling. In the vein of Stuart, A Life Backwards and Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors , David’s poetic ability to detail the unique highs and harrowing lows makes a remarkable and gripping read.

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A practicing psychotherapist--who himself has battled depression--examines how the disorder affects emotions, behavior, relationships, and self, and discusses healthier and more adaptive ways of thinking, feeling, and living happier lives.

Our mental health is at times robust, at times incredibly vulnerable, and always essential to our very being. This informative and entertaining insider's guide is a rich and truthful exploration of mental health - informative but at the same time full of humour, candour and hope. The unique combination of dialogue between the authors - one a sufferer from manic depression, the other his doctor - alongside a comprehensive A-Z section, provides a fascinating insight into the subject, and contains a wealth of information on prevention, treatments, and advice on how and where to get help. Topics include: the symptoms of illness, denial, relationships, self-esteem, suicide, creativity, alcoholism and addiction; handled with warmth and humanity throughout.

Ultimately, Jeremy Thomas and Tony Hughes hope that The A-Z Guide to Good Mental Health will simply help a few people in the same boat.

Gloria Thomas, whose methods are highly recommended by The Sunday Times, Red and Zest, brings you an extremely practical book to overcome your fears, phobias and anxieties. Using her skills as a master NLP practitioner, hypnotherapist and Reiki master she shows you how to take control of your fears even in the most demanding trigger situations.

• 70-80 per cent of the population suffer from an anxiety-related condition in the form of fear, phobia or panic attack. These can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, holding them back and making them feel isolated and depressed.

• Using her unique combination of skills as a master NLP practitioner, Thought Field Therapist, Hypnotherapist and Reiki Master, former sufferer Gloria Thomas gives readers the tools they need to take control of their fears in even the most knee-trembling situations and banish them forever.

• Covers specific trigger situations, such as crowds, air travel, conference speaking, visiting the dentist, agoraphobia, being on your own, the dark, etc, as well as first aid ‘what to do during an anxiety or panic attack’.

• Gloria’s techniques include thought field therapy, cognitive/behavioural techniques, visualization, affirmation, self-hypnosis scripts, breathing, anchoring, Reiki methods, etc.

• Free 60-minute CD as part of Gloria’s toolbox to guide readers through the visualizations and self-hypnosis exercises.

• Morale-boosting real-life stories

Learn how connecting with nature can reduce stress and improve wellbeing. You don't even need a garden - even a balcony or houseplants can help to boost your mood. Every recommendation is backed by scientific research, drawn together by the team of RHS scientists and experts. Favourite garden designer at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Matt Keightley then suggests how to translate the science into ideas for your green space.