Julie Fast, author of: "Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability" is our guest. She is joining us from her home in Oregon.

Natalie is the HealthyPlace.com moderator

The people in blue are audience members.

online conference transcript

Ms. Fast has written several books on bipolar disorder, including "Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder" and she's a writer for Bipolar Magazine. She also developed the "Health Cards Treatment System" to treat her own Bipolar Disorder. You can read her biography when you click here.

Good evening, Julie and welcome to our site. Thank you for coming.

Julie Fast: Thank you. I am happy to be here.

Natalie: One thing that really caught my eye: you had experienced the symptoms of bipolar disorder for 15 years, starting at age 16, before being diagnosed. You had the classic signs  wild mood swings from mania to depression, psychotic episodes. You even lived with and married a man whose bipolar symptoms were so bad at one point that he had to be hospitalized. Yet, you never recognized your symptoms as being indicative of bipolar disorder. And even if you didn't know the term "bipolar disorder," it's amazing to me that you didn't view yourself as being "ill" in some way. How is that?

Julie Fast: I have bipolar II which is one of the reasons it took me so long to get diagnosed. Bipolar I is depression with full blown mania. Bipolar II is depression with hypomania - a milder form of mania. Bipolar I is very easy to diagnose as a person who is really manic is easy to see. Bipolar II can be very difficult to diagnose- especially before all of the attention paid to bipolar disorder in the media these days - simply because people with mild mania never go to the doctor- they feel too good. I never even knew that the summers I used to have where I went absolutely wild were a mood swing. I just thought they were the real, non depressed me.

It's hard to believe that just 10-20 years ago, the ignorance surrounding bipolar disorder was enormous. When my partner went through his terrible manic/psychotic episode in 1994, I had never heard of bipolar disorder - so I had nothing to compare. All I knew is that I was much more depressed than he was and that I had never experienced full blown mania. This explains why I never connected the illness with myself even though I am a 100% classic bipolar II diagnosis.

After he got out of the hospital, I could no longer explain away my terrible mood swings, nor could I run away from them anymore and I was diagnosed in just 20 minutes- after 15 years of being sick all of the time. It is depressing to think of what my life would have been like if things were as they are today.

Natalie: As I mentioned at the top, Julie Fast has written several books on bipolar disorder. Tonight we're discussing her new book, due out next week, "Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A 4-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability" Julie, what is the theme of this book?

Julie Fast: The main theme is that it takes a comprehensive plan to manage this illness. Medications are very important, but they are not enough. I thought that medications would be the answer to all of my problems- so I didn't have anything in place in case they didn't work.

Natalie: Managing the illness and creating lasting stability. For many people living with bipolar disorder, that sounds like a dream come true. How easy is that to accomplish?

Julie Fast: I want to be very honest here. There is no quick fix with bipolar disorder. I personally have to manage the illness all day, everyday. By doing this I have created my own stability. It is better than anything I have experienced before. It's not easy in terms of the time and effort it takes, but it is a LOT easier than being so sick you can't work or you have to go to the hospital. For the five years after my bipolar diagnosis, I was really too sick to function. This is when I created my own management plan and that is what has made the difference. From the tens of thousands of people I have talked to regarding bipolar disorder, I know that many people struggle if they don't manage the illness daily. I liken it to diabetes. You don't eat well one day and then go have a cake the next without repercussions.

Lasting stability means diligent, daily management with a plan that works. It's unfair we have to work so hard at this, but we do. I often say that I would give anything to be normal, but I am not normal and I have to accept that and do what I can.

Natalie: And is it within most people's grasp or is it something you must dedicate years to before you see some real results?

Julie Fast: We all have different degrees of this illness - but I can guarantee that there are tips in this book that can show results in a few days. I know because that is how it was for me. For example, there is a chapter called "Bipolar Conversation". With the one skill learned in this chapter, people with the illness and the people around them can learn what to say and what not to say when a person is in a mood swing. This can change a relationship almost overnight.

There are many things that take years, such as my being able to work again. I am very limited in my work options in that I can't handle a 9-5 office setting, but at least I can do work from my home or on a part-time basis. I wasn't able to do this at all until I used the four steps in this book. Writing these books is very hard for me. I am sick in some way the entire time, but I use my skills and I keep going. This is one of the main ideas I want to get across in Take Charge. Few of us have a recovery where the illness is completely gone. Because of this, we have to find something that works for us or the illness will take over.