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Summary: Making bipolar disorder comprehensible
Review: The state of mind of a person with bipolar disorder is so outside the range of experience of a normal person it is virtually incomprehensible to them. I found in this book Dr. Jamison makes bipolar disorder more comprehensible to both those who are affected by the disorder and those who are not. She removes the stigma, misunderstanding and lack of empathy people with bipolar disorder face daily in their lives. Although often frightening to read it provides optimism for those suffering from the disoder; reaffirming that it is a manageable disorder and a meaningful, purposeful life is possible to them.
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Summary: An Unquiet Mind
Review: This is a "keeper"(I'll have to buy another to share). Kay Jamison is a wonderful writer who writes with great intelligence and humanity. This is a personal account of living with an illness that effects how one perceives and is perceived. It's a memoir of great pains and great enthusiasms. I am awestruck by Dr. Jamison's humility. This book speaks to people who have suffered from any illness that effects one deep to the core of their soul (and there are many). As Dr. Jamison says, "We all move uneasily in our restraints". There is great hope in this book for those who have a serious mental illness,and/or who love someone with such. Dr Jamison writes poetically, that is, in such a way as to evoke a miriad of feelings unique to the reader. Read the book and be changed!
Rating: 
Summary: An Unquiet Mind
Review: Imagine having the world in your hands. Where anything is possible. Nothing is out of your reach. Then in a matter of days a dark cloud forms over your world pouring pain and misery on what was such a great place to be. Thoughts of suicide consume the hours of darkness. For Kay Redfield Jamison this is a normal thing.
The millions who suffer from manic depression have been mislabeled, until now. It is important to have books about manic depressents read and excepted by readers everywhere. Mrs. Jamison does a magnificent job in potraying the widely unknown disease and its effects. An Unquiet Mind is a must read for anyone who wants to learn about it, not only in medical terms, but also emotionally. Not only does Kay suffer from manic depression, but her career involves studying it and people who have it.
For those of us who do not enjoy reading boring medical books, An Unquiet Mind alows you to get the same knowledge in an enjoyable manner. You are also able to get a personal feeling from someone who suffers from manic depression. We recomend this book for anyone who is interested in a story about a woman who went through it and over came it.
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Summary: embracing an unquiet life
Review: To those whose lives have been marred by mood disorders the question presses in, "What good can come from this?" Ms. Jamison's answer is "much," when one embraces who one is, with all the imperfections and fragilities entailed, and recognizes that each life is special and worthy of love. The person who realizes this can love oneself and extend love to others. This book itself is a courageous act of love that will bless many.
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Summary: A Must-Have for Bipolars and Their Families!
Review: If you have Bipolar Disorder, as I do, you will find great comfort and understanding in this book. After reading it, I finally felt like I was not alone and that I can succeed despite my illness. I related to many Jamison's moods, experiences, and struggles, which were all so vividly written that I could not put the book down. I actually read the entire thing in one sitting! I lent it to my mother and it has since been rotated around my entire family. It made them understand me nearly completely for the first time in my life because Jamison said things that I was always too ashamed to admit. A must-have for anyone with bipolar disorder and their loved ones!
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Summary: Starting place for bipolar patients, families, and friends
Review: Dr. Jamison is widely regarded as one of the leading experts on what used to be called "manic depression", but is now called "bipolar disorder". Though she is a Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, she is not a medical doctor, so far as I can tell--not that that matters. What makes her especially effective as a writer on the illness is that she herself suffers from it. I have had friends and family members who suffer from this disorder. And I think I know many people who are undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed. This book will help families who might have loved ones, diagnosed or not, to get help, and most importantly, to get the right kind of help. The most important thing in this book, in my opinion, is that Jamison stresses the effectiveness of drug treatment in coordination with psychotherapy. This is relatively unusual, as most patients with any kind of mental disorder will only have the benefit of drug treatment--brief sessions with a psychiatrist are typically limited to questions about side effects and general effectiveness of the medication. The medical literature may be coming around on this subject, as I have seen recent articles specifically recommending "cognitive therapy" in coordination with drug treatment, for example, in acutely suicidal in-patients at hospitals. But Jamison's book is unequivocal--she says that she owes her life to the combination of drug therapy and psychotherapy. This book is also valuable as a work of literature, a powerful and candid autobiographical account of the author's illness, her career, her crises, how she coped with personal and professional relationships, and how she copes with her illness, including having to explain it to her colleagues. So in addition to being a moving story of a courageous and admirable scientist, it is a useful guide for anyone who is struggling with the illness himself or herself, or trying to understand the illness in another person. After reading it, I bought copies for friends and family members. You will too.
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Summary: An Unquiet Mind
Review: From a newly diagnosed bi-polar II reader, this book has been a life saver literally. It has inspired me to think that bi-polar II does not mean I have to give up a successful career. Maybe in the short-term but once it is properly managed through medication, I can be productive. The book was great at putting words to my emotions and words to the struggle with the diease.
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Summary: Amazing
Review: I suffer form Manic-Depression and i cried when i read this book, not only did another person go through what i am, but the book has helped me understand it more.
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Summary: It could happen to anyone
Review: I have read quite a few books about bipolar depression. This book written from the point of view of a patient but with a knowledge of a physician allows a multidimensional insight into many aspects of the illness. But perhaps the most attractive thing about this book is that Dr Jamison comes across as a brilliant and very attractive human being, and the fact that the illness has affected her may help some people see the depression as an illness like diabetis, rather than a weakness of the will or a character defect.
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Summary: The other side of the coin
Review: I have just suffered the anguish of watching my manic-depressive sister destroy her marriage and career as a psychologist with a severely psychotic break. She would not listen to her four sisters tearful entreaties that she obtain help, because she was "on another planet," in another reality. This book gave me comfort and hope. I don't agree with all the sentiments of the author, especially when she rambles about the "rings of Saturn" she has experienced, and the joys of the manic highs. I don't agree because I have been on the other side of the coin, suffering and humiliated by my sister's self-destructive actions. But I understand more. The author has made me see what the manic-depressive person experiences. I will read and reread this book, hoping it will help me heal, and somehow reconnect with my sister.
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