An Unquiet Mind : A Memoir of Moods and Madness

Rating:
Summary: Revelatory
Review: Jamison spoke to me through this wild account of Bipolar Disorder like no one has ever done. It truely was a source of comfort when I had no clue what bi-polor disorder was. After finally seeking help and listening to loved ones and other professionals in the mental health field I sought help, after decades of termoil. Having been diagnoised as BD (rapid cycler), one year ago, I would strongly suggest this book to those strugglers and loved ones who carry the burden of those with this illness. I can't wait for other material by Jamison.

Rating:
Summary: A lot of this story sounds awfully familiar...
Review: As a fellow BPDII patient, I sympathized greatly with a lot of the emotion expressed in her book. The part I particularly identified with was when she said if she had a choice of having BPD or not, she would have it. I agree. This illness is a lot of trouble, but if you play it right, you can have a very...interesting life

Rating:
Summary: Finally a Doctor that can relate
Review: I am 21 and have been diagnosed with bipolar. Through numerous psychiatrists, I never felt they truly knew how I felt. Kay does and is an ispiration of how one women over came this illness and went on to succeed.

Rating:
Summary: A "must read" for manic-depression patients and doctors.
Review: The life success of the author despite her illness gives me great hope for my own future. This book should be recommended reading for all bipolar diagnosed individuals (my nurse loaned me her copy.) I plan on purchasing my own copy for my personal library. One of the best books of any subject I've EVER read. - Thank You--M. Rhodes

Rating:
Summary: A tool for reaching the soul of an unreachable misery.
Review: Dr. Jamison gives us a tool for reaching within and touching what had previously been untouchable for me. I am manic depressive and can remember "looking up at the stars." I made a science out of wondering what the Hell was wrong with me. Her book started me on the road to discovery and gave me the courage to tell all the nay-sayers that there really WAS something wrong. It was not just a phase or lack of maturity. I'm thankful that she had the strength to bring it out into the open.

Rating:
Summary: Thank you for helping my family understand!
Review: I am grateful to this book! Through the eyes of another, I read much of my own story. I engulfed this book in one afternoon, having been recently diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder after years of being told by doctors that I was suffering migraines, allergies, seizures, and everything else under the sun. My first marriage, like Ms. Jamison's, ended in divorce because of a lack of understanding by either of us what made me so unpredictable. Looking at Ms. Jamison's life, and at my own, through new eyes, I can see the truth in many of her struggles. I unfortunately was not able to keep the jobs that I have had, mostly in the medical profession. But I am amazed and encouraged to see that she has been able to continue her studies and her career, despite the severity of her mood swings. One of the hardest things I have had to deal with is explaining to my family that I suffer from a mental illness. This is so hard to tell people because it is not believable to people who have known you your whole life. I have asked my parents, family, and friends to all read this book, because it provides a beautifully written view into the tortuous, agitated, and often brilliant fire in the mind of the bipolar person. While the text provided a hidden camera view into my own mind, it also displayed the same compassion on the part of others who know and love people who have bipolar disorder. In my friends and in my new husband, I have found nothing but support and a desire to understand. And this book has helped overwhelmingly to break down that barrier of fear and revulsion that usually follow the words "mentally ill."

Rating:
Summary: This book was a relevation for me into manic depression.
Review: This book was clear and precise in its writing and was easy to read. It provided the reader with a clear understanding of the impediments manic depression poses to those who have it and to those who treat it. However, it is also a starlingly uplifting book because Kay has achieved so much despite the social stigma and mental difficulties of a mental disorder. I was honored to read her story and thrilled that she was willing to share her fears and successes with the public. I too have a mental disorder and it made me feel more empowered and also feel that I CAN achieve my dreams. Like a medical disorder, a mental disorder can be treated if treatment is followed appropriately and this book emphasizes that.

Rating:
Summary: Do not miss this book!
Review: This book speaks multitudes to patients, families, health professionals and everyone with an interest in mental health issues. As a world renowned expert in the field, Professor Jamison gives enormous insight into the course of this illness. As a patient with the condition, Kay touches the reader's heart with honesty, poignancy and humour which takes us all closer to understanding the bitter ravages of bipolar disease. From 'An Unquiet Mind', I have learned much about this illness, which otherwise I would not have gleaned from the psychiatric text books which I study in my psychiatric training. If you know someone with bipolar illness - read this. If you don't know someone with the disorder read it anyway. Dr Mike Walton

Rating:
Summary: Of Moods and Madness
Review: Kay Redfield Jamison's book "An Unquiet Mind", takes us into the terrifying yet fascinating world of manic-depressive illness. Through her own personal experience with manic depression, Jamison allows us glimpses of a disease that is sometimes humorous, often frightening, but usually misunderstood. Viewed from the safety and predictability of "normalacy" we live the manias with it's intensity of mood and character as well as the depressions and suicidal ideations that inevitably follow. But the book does not keep readers motivated to turn pages because it is a personal story. Rather, Jamison takes us to the fringes of our own madness, our own manias and depressions. Here we are reminded how fine a line exists between sane and insane, a line perhaps none of us are immune from crossing. Jamison's struggle and ultimate victory over the disease are her ultimate gifts to the reader as she aspires to become a Professor of Psychiatry and a world authority on manic-dpression. Her book is a must for those readers brave enough to expose their own raw edges. I guarantee the joking words of the "need to be on lithium" will have a different meaning thereafter.

Rating:
Summary: Salute to courageous fighter
Review: Dr. Jamison risks her professional standing by being so upfront about her illness. Yet she lays it out in the hope of helping others with the same problems. And I think that she IS helping others. In "Personal History", Katharine Graham cites Jamison's work, and it helps Graham's healing by giving her (Graham) further insights into her late husband's wild mood swings and action prior to his suicide. I wish Jamison wouldn't be quite so hard on herself. If she were able to grasp the concept of a higher power, she might begin to discern some of the peace which she so richly deserves.