JULIE A. FAST, bestselling author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner (New Harbinger Publications, February 2004/revised 2012),Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A Four Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness and Create Lasting Stability (Time/Warner 2006), Get it Done When You're Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track (Penguin, 2008) and Bipolar Happens!(Grayson OmniMedia Publishing, 2012) is a critically acclaimed international author, speaker, and sought after expert in the fields of bipolar disorder and depression. She is regarded as a mental health pioneer for her groundbreaking, comprehensive approach to treating bipolar disorder and depression using both mainstream and self created management strategies.Julie was the original consultant for Claire Danes and her TV series Homeland on Showtime. Julie is a family and partner coach for those who love someone with bipolar disorder (www.JulieFast.com), writes a column for BP Magazine (www.BPHope.com), is a bipolar disorder specialist on the Oprah and Dr. Oz website (www.ShareCare.com) and has a popular blog and awesome newsletter at (www.BipolarHappens.com/bhBlog). Julie also trains pharmacists, psychiatric residents, social workers, alternative health care practitioners, general physicians, nurse practitioners, therapists and many more health care professionals on the topics of depression and bipolar disorder management. You can find her on FaceBook at the Julie A. Fast page and Twitter @JulieBipolar. She also has many popular You Tube videos on mental health topics including bipolar disorder, depression, suicide, Britney Spears, Charlie Sheen,Catherine Zeta Jones, movies about mental health and much more. Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder with over 200,000 copies sold has just been released in a new edition with a new chapter on couples and medications as well as a very comprehensive medication reference from coauthor Dr. Preston. (The new cover is blue and the last version is orange.) Julie's Bipolar Disorder DiagnosisJulie was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder II in 1995 at the age of thirty-one, after she had unknowingly lived with the disorder for over fourteen challenging and chaotic years. In 1998, three years after the diagnosis and twenty-three medications later, she found herself at a life-or-death crossroads: The medications were not enough and the quality of her life had spiraled downward with unhealthy relationships, work problems, a loss of dreams and money issues as a result. This experience became the inspiration behind her now-famous treatment plan found in all of her books. This health plan is called The Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar Disorder and is found on her website. **A Note from Julie And now, after that stellar biography, let's get to the real stuff. I've been sick off and on for many, many years. I rapid cycle intensely- sometimes five times a day. But I am lucky that it's rapid cycling as I have many stable times as well. My euphoric hypomania is wonderful, but it rarely shows up. My dysphoric mania has gotten worse and presents new challenges! I've written many book outlines while hypomanic, but I wrote most of my books while depressed- I've truly learned to get things done while I was depressed! I use every single tip in my books regularly. This is how I survive the illness. The tips keep me going and growing! (Unfortunately, some of the meds have made me grow too much!) My goal is to help others. I write for those of us who don't think we can live another day with this illness and I write for partners and family members who are often in the dark when it comes to helping us. I am on both sides regularly. This illness can be treated. Reading books helps us manage it more easily and they definitely cost less than a doctor visit! Let's read, talk, learn and get better together!Julie PS: I'm doing well these days. A miracle. Never give up!