Psych Central Teams Up with the Authors of Bipolar Disorder For Dummies® to Roll Out New Bipolar Blog - Bipolar Beat

Hoboken, NJ (PRWEB) July 16, 2008 -- Dr. Candida Fink MD and Joe Kraynak, co-authors of the popular book "Bipolar Disorder For Dummies®", are pleased to announce their most recent collaboration with Psych Central® (http://www.psychcentral.com), recognized on TIME.com as one of the best Web Sites in 2008 for its top mental health content and social media tools. In an effort to provide the mental health community with additional information and resources, Psych Central's founder and publisher, Dr. John Grohol, Psy.D., has invited several experts in mental health to host their own blogs on Psych Central. Fink and Kraynak have been selected to host Psych Central's bipolar blog, which they are calling the "Bipolar Beat" (http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipolar).

According to Fink and Kraynak, who have been hosting their own Bipolar Blog over the past year, Bipolar Beat is not replacing the Bipolar Blog but complementing it. Bipolar Beat provides yet another platform to get the word out about bipolar disorder and provide reliable information on the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder and how to live well with it. Fink and Kraynak's new blog will provide syndicated content from the Bipolar Blog (http://finkshrink.com/blog) along with original new material and encourage people in the bipolar community to respond with their own questions, insights, and opinions.

"After reading 'Bipolar Disorder For Dummies', I realized here are two people who have a wonderful way of explaining this condition without stigmatizing it or couching terms in 'psychobabble'," said Dr. Grohol. "I couldn't resist helping make their down-to-earth message available to a wider audience. I think 'Bipolar Beat' will make an invaluable contribution in the ongoing conversation about this concern."

"We're honored to have been selected to host Psych Central's bipolar blog," said Dr. Fink. "It lends even more credibility to our book and our efforts to provide helpful information and guidance through our book and our blog. We sincerely hope that people who have bipolar disorder and those who support them, including loved ones and professional care givers, will benefit from the content we've posted and will post in the future."

About the Authors:

Candida Fink, MD (New Rochelle, New York) is a Board Certified Adult, Child, and Adolescent Psychiatrist in private practice in the New York area. Dr. Fink graduated from Boston University Medical School and did her postgraduate training through Harvard Medical School. She's currently an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Westchester Medical College. She has worked extensively with children and adults with complicated psychiatric illnesses. Mood disorders, especially the diagnostic and treatment questions surrounding bipolar disorder, comprise much of her practice. She also works extensively with schools and other institutions regarding developmental and psychiatric issues.

Dr. Fink grew up with mood disorders in her family, so she has seen them from every angle and knows the importance of mobilizing the family as a part of any successful treatment. She is the co-author of "The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child" (with Judith Lederman, Simon and Schuster, 2003) and "Bipolar Disorder for Dummies" (http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesTitle/Bipolar-Disorder-For-Dummies.productCd-0764584510.html) (with Joe Kraynak, John Wiley & Sons, 2005). She frequently consults and speaks on bipolar disorder in children.

Joe Kraynak, MA (Crawfordsville, Indiana) is a freelance author who has written and co-authored dozens of books on topics ranging from slam poetry to personal computers. On December 10, 1999, Joe's wife was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Since that day, they have consulted with a numerous doctors and therapists, survived several changes in health insurance coverage, attended dozens of support group meetings, and endured the career changes and financial hardships that commonly accompany bipolar disorder. In "Bipolar Disorder For Dummies" and on the blogs he co-hosts with Dr. Fink, Joe offers his experience and insight from life in the trenches.

About Psych Central:

Psych Central, located at PsychCentral.com, is a leading mental health portal that features original, peer-reviewed editorial content, news, research briefs, clinical trials, ratings and reviews of medications and treatments, the popular World of Psychology blog, and a thriving online support community. Each month more than 650,000 people visit Psych Central's independent libraries and communities, contribute to their own blogs, take an interactive screening quiz, and track their progress over time. Founded in 1995, Psych Central is published by John M. Grohol, Psy.D., a pioneer and expert in online mental health. Dr. Grohol's leadership helped to break down the barriers of stigma often associated with mental health concerns, bringing trusted resources to the Internet. Each month more than 650,000 people visit Psych Central to connect with others, read about various mental health concerns, take assessment quizzes, and more. Sanity Score, a mental health and wellness test developed by Psych Central, provides a numerical rating and graphical result of the state of an individual's mental health. The test has been taken by more than 50,000 people and continually generates feedback lauding its accuracy. Psych Central does not provide professional diagnosis or treatment.

About For Dummies® (http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/):

With near universal name recognition, more than 150 million books in print, and over 1,000 topics, For Dummies is the world's bestselling reference series. With loyal customers around the globe, For Dummies enriches people's lives by making knowledge accessible in a fun and easy way. Described by the N.Y. Times as "more than a publishing phenomenon, but a sign of the times," For Dummies span every section of the bookstore, covering everything from health to history, music to math, sports to self-help, technology to travel, and more. The Dummies brand franchise has expanded with an extensive licensed product line, including DVDs, software, consumer electronics, cooking, cleaning and automotive products, craft and hobby kits, games and more. For information, visit Dummies.com. For Dummies is a branded imprint of Wiley.

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