Despite recent advances in the treatment of mood disorders, the vast majority of patients are not receiving the most up-to-date care. This is not entirely the result of the move to community
mental health facilities, but also because the recent upsurge in research on psychosocial treatment of bipolar disorders has not filtered down to those working on the front lines. Reiser and
Thompson (both Pacific Graduate School of Psychology) describe the new complexities of diagnosing the different types of bipolar disorders and compare this with the differentiating factors of
diagnosing other mental health conditions, give the leading theories and models of bipolar disorder, and describe diagnosis and treatment indications. Although the treatments described here do
not substitute for standard psychiatric care, they do provide supplemental support (such as ways to decrease attrition and increase motivation) for community-health patients who are receiving
such care and associated medication. Annotation 穢2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
