Best Bipolar Disorder Books of 2025

Wilson Cook Avatar
Wilson Cook
Last Updated: May 12, 2023

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Bipolar disorder can be a challenging condition to understand and manage, but there are many helpful resources available to those affected by it. One such resource is a variety of books focused on the subject. These books can offer insight into the experiences of individuals with bipolar disorder, as well as practical strategies for coping with symptoms and improving one's quality of life. Some popular titles include "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Redfield Jamison, "The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide" by David J. Miklowitz, and "The Noonday Demon" by Andrew Solomon. Whether you are personally affected by bipolar disorder or looking to learn more about it, these books can provide valuable information and support.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance Cover #TOP 1
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance
ftb score rating icon 9.8
Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder Cover #TOP 2
Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder
ftb score rating icon 9.7
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Cover #TOP 3
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 10 Bipolar Disorder Books

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

McKay PhD, Matthew
Wood PsyD, Jeffrey C.
Brantley MD, Jeffrey
New Harbinger Publications
Oct 1, 2019
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance Cover
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook: Practical DBT Exercises for Learning Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance

The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook is a practical guide for learning mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. It offers evidence-based exercises for building skills in these four key areas, making them accessible to both mental health professionals and general readers. The fully revised and updated second edition includes new chapters on cognitive rehearsal, distress tolerance, and self-compassion. Overall, this book provides a clear and effective approach to learning DBT skills that can greatly improve one's ability to handle distress without losing control. It is a valuable resource for anyone seeking real and lasting change.

Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder

Mason MS, Paul T T
Kreger, Randi
New Harbinger Publications
Dec 1, 2020
Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder Cover
Stop Walking on Eggshells: Taking Your Life Back When Someone You Care about Has Borderline Personality Disorder

The third edition of Stop Walking on Eggshells by Paul Mason and Randi Kreger is a self-help classic that has already helped over a million people understand borderline personality disorder (BPD). This revised edition includes new research on comorbidity and coping skills to help readers stabilize their relationship with someone who has BPD or narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). The book offers compassionate guidance to help readers make sense of the chaos, assert their needs, and protect themselves and others from violent behavior. This book is a must-read for anyone whose family has been affected by BPD.

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Hayes PhD, Steven C.
Smith, Spencer
New Harbinger Publications
Nov 1, 2005
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Cover
Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Get ready to take a different perspective on your problems and your life―and the way you live it. . Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a new, scientifically based psychotherapy that takes a fresh look at why we suffer and even what it means to be mentally healthy. What if pain were a normal, unavoidable part of the human condition, but avoiding or trying to control painful experience were the cause of suffering and long-term problems that can devastate your quality of life? The ACT process hinges on this distinction between pain and suffering. As you work through this book, you’ll learn to let go of your struggle against pain, assess your values, and then commit to acting in ways that further those values.ACT is not about fighting your pain; it’s about developing a willingness to embrace every experience life has to offer. It’s not about resisting your emotions; it’s about feeling them completely and yet not turning your choices over to them. ACT offers you a path out of suffering by helping you choose to live your life based on what matters to you most. If you’re struggling with anxiety, depression, or problem anger, this book can help―clinical trials suggest that ACT is very effective for a whole range of psychological problems. But this is more than a self-help book for a specific complaint―it is a revolutionary approach to living a richer and more rewarding life.Learn why the very nature of human language can cause sufferingEscape the trap of avoidanceFoster willingness to accept painful experiencePractice mindfulness skills to achieve presence in the momentDiscover the things you really value mostCommit to living a vital, meaningful lifeThis book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit ― an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

#TOP 4

The Gift of Ben: Loving through Imperfection

Rogers-Seitz, Lindsey
Apr 27, 2023
The Gift of Ben: Loving through Imperfection Cover
The Gift of Ben: Loving through Imperfection
#TOP 5

Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism

Rosenberg, Stanley
SHIELD, BENJAMIN
Porges, Stephen W.
North Atlantic Books
Dec 5, 2017
Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism Cover
Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism

The best-selling book on the topic—now in 15 languages. This practical guide to understanding the cranial nerves as the key to our psychological and physical well-being builds on Stephen Porges’s Polyvagal Theory—one of the most important recent developments in human neurobiology. Drawing on more than thirty years of experience as a craniosacral therapist and Rolfer, Stanley Rosenberg explores the crucial role that the vagus nerve plays in determining our psychological and emotional states and explains that a myriad of common psychological and physical symptoms—from anxiety and depression to migraines and back pain—indicates a lack of proper functioning in the vagus nerve. Through a series of easy self-help exercises, the book illustrates the simple ways we can regulate the vagus nerve in order to initiate deep relaxation, improve sleep, and recover from injury and trauma. Additionally, by exploring the link between a well-regulated vagus nerve and social functioning, Rosenberg’s findings and methods offer new hope that by improving social behavior it is possible to alleviate some of the symptoms at the core of many cases of autism spectrum disorders. Useful for psychotherapists, doctors, bodyworkers, and caregivers, as well as anyone who experiences the symptoms of chronic stress and depression, this book shows how we can optimize autonomic functioning in ourselves and others, and bring the body into the state of safety that activates its innate capacity to heal.

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know

Miklowitz, David J.
The Guilford Press
Feb 21, 2019
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know Cover
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know

The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know is an essential guide for anyone living with bipolar disorder or supporting a loved one with the condition. Dr. David J. Miklowitz provides science-based information and proven strategies for managing the illness, reducing recurrences, and making lifestyle changes to stay well. The third edition includes updated facts on medications and therapy, a new chapter on kids and teens, and expanded coverage of the bipolar II subtype. This practical, straightforward book is highly recommended for those seeking a better understanding of bipolar disorder and effective coping strategies.

An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

Jamison, Kay Redfield
Vintage
Oct 1, 1996
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness Cover
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

An Unquiet Mind is a memoir by Kay Redfield Jamison, a psychiatrist with bipolar disorder. In this book, she shares her personal experiences with the illness, revealing both its terrors and the cruel allure that at times prompted her to resist taking medication. Jamison's ability to live fully within her limitations is an inspiration to her fellow mortals, whatever our particular burdens may be. With breathtaking honesty, she tells of her own manic depression, the bitter costs of her illness, and its paradoxical benefits. This is one of the best scientific autobiographies ever written, a combination of clarity, truth, and insight into human character.

#TOP 8

Self-Directed DBT Skills: A 3-Month DBT Workbook to Help Regulate Intense Emotions

Fehling PhD, Kiki
Weiner PhD, Elliot
Mar 7, 2023
Self-Directed DBT Skills: A 3-Month DBT Workbook to Help Regulate Intense Emotions Cover
Self-Directed DBT Skills: A 3-Month DBT Workbook to Help Regulate Intense Emotions

Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

Bamford, Maria
Sep 5, 2023
Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere Cover
Sure, I'll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere

Sure, I'll Join Your Cult is a memoir by Maria Bamford, a stand-up comedian who has fought to find a place where she belongs. In this brutally honest and hilarious book, Bamford recounts her experiences with mental health issues, medical debt, and psychiatric institutionalization. She shares her journey through various anonymous fellowships she has joined, including Debtors Anonymous and Overeaters Anonymous. Bamford's writing is both sincere and transparent, transforming isolating experiences into comedy that will make you feel less alone. This book is a unique and inspiring read for anyone struggling with mental health issues and the quest to belong.

The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

Hyman PhD LCSW, Bruce M.
Pedrick RN, Cherlene
New Harbinger Publications
Nov 1, 2010
The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook) Cover
The OCD Workbook: Your Guide to Breaking Free from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (A New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)

If you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chances are that your persistent obsessive thoughts and time-consuming compulsions keep you from enjoying life to the fullest. But when you are in the habit of avoiding the things you fear, the idea of facing them head-on can feel frightening and overwhelming. This book can help.The OCD Workbook has helped thousands of people with OCD break the bonds of troubling OCD symptoms and regain the hope of a productive life. Endorsed and used in hospitals and clinics the world over, this valuable resource is now fully revised and updated with the latest evidence-based approaches to understanding and managing OCD. It offers day-to-day coping strategies you can start using right away, along with proven-effective self-help techniques that can help you maintain your progress. The book also includes information for family members seeking to understand and support loved ones who suffer from this often baffling and frustrating disorder. Whether you suffer with OCD or a related disorder, such as body dysmorphic disorder or trichotillomania, let this new edition of The OCD Workbook be your guide on the path to recovery.. This new edition will help you: use self-assessment tools to identify your symptoms and their severity; create and implement a recovery strategy using cognitive behavioral self-help tools and techniques; learn about the most effective medications and medical treatments; find the right professional help and access needed support for your recovery; and maintain your progress and prevent future relapse.This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best book on bipolar disorder?

Best books on bipolar disorder: for patients and families. The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, Third Edition: What You and Your Family Need to Know.Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)Why Am I Still Depressed? ... An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness.

2. What are the 4 stages of bipolar?

There are four types of mood episodes in bipolar disorder: mania, hypomania, depression, and mixed episodes.

3. Is reading good for bipolar disorder?

They are good companions in combating depression and mania. I may not travel much or see other people live their daily lives, but reading gives me the opportunity to gain a whole lot of information about the people living without bipolar disorder.

Editor's Notes

During our bipolar disorder book research, we found 1,000+ bipolar disorder book products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 53,796 customer reviews through our big data system to write the bipolar disorder books list. We found that most customers choose bipolar disorder books with an average price of $18.60.

Written by
Wilson Cook Avatar

Wilson Cook is a talented writer who has an MFA in creative writing from Williams College and has published more than 50 books acquired by hundreds of thousands of people from various countries by now. He is an inveterate reading lover as he has read a vast amount of books since childhood.