Julie A. Fast was diagnosed with ultrarapid cycling Bipolar II in 1995 after fifteen years of constantly wondering, What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I stay in one job, maintain relationships, or live in one place? Her partner of ten years was diagnosed with Bipolar I in 1994. She believes that this gives her books a very unique perspective. Her philosophy is that bipolar disorder is not the chaotic mess it seems, but is instead a very predictable and often very treatable illness once a person finds the right treatment plan. Her dream is that all people with bipolar disorder find a management system that works for them individually, so that they can have happy, healthy, and stable lives. Her main goal is to change the way the world sees and treats bipolar disorder: she believes that people with bipolar disorder have an illness, not psychological or personal problems. Julie manages the Web sites www.bipolarhappens.com and www.juliefast.com and is also the author, along with John Preston, of the bestselling Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner (New Harbinger, 2004).
John Preston, PsyD, ABPP, is a professor of psychology with Alliant International University, Sacramento. He has also taught on the faculty of the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Preston is the author of seventeen books, with topics including psychotherapy, depression, psychopharmacology, and neurobiology, and wrote the “Drugs in Psychiatry” chapter in Encyclopedia Americana. He has lectured in the United States, Europe, and Russia.