Rating: 
Summary: A Poetic, Serrious, and Realistic Examination of Moods
Review: More and more what we seem to find is that the world is not so much populated by a sea of 'normal' people among whom there stand out a few with 'disorders,' but in fact that there are millions of subtle and not-so-subtle varriations on how each persons mind works. These varriations cumulatively produce each unique individual, but since when did being diferent constitute an illness. The more closely that we look at these "illness", the more we will begin to see that they are just different ways of seeing the world.The symptoms of some of these differences, though, can be very dark, serrious, and destructive. It is not something to be romantacized. Some people have been critical of this book, either for not producing difinitive conclusions, or for not providing suficient hope for those struggling with Manic Depression (Bi-Polar Affective Disorder). These points, however, could well constitute the book's greatest strengths, not its weaknesses. Firstly, one should look honestly at the criticism that it does not provide hope for those struggling with Manic Depression. Hope is certainly an important thing to have, however, it is important that that hope be real. A false hope will only hurt people more when it ultimately colapses in the face of reality. If you are looking for encouragement that Lithium is a drug without side-effects, that can ease symptoms without having any other less desirable repercussions, then you are not being honest with yourself, and you are only setting yourself up with false expectations, and once those fail, you will only be further entrenched in what Jamison calls "the war on treatment." I have known a number of people with Manic Depression, and even some who were on Lithium. If you understand honestly both the good and the bad, with out the rose-tinted glasses of hollow and superficial optimisim, then you will be better equipped emotionaly to deal with the serrious buisness of getting in control of your life - it's not always fun, and anyone who tells you it is (a la sacrine and contrite books like Chicken Soup for the Soul) is actualy doing you more harm than good. Fortunately, Jamison avoids this by writting a straight forward book, and by not feeling pressured to produce truths that no one can know for sure. Some of my friends felt that this book was inconclusive,or that it only served to state the obvious. However, that is perhaps what makes this one of the best books on both the subject of the arts, and on the psychology of Manic Depression. The truth is that, although it would be nice to say that Manic Depression can or cannot be cured by love or faith, or that all cases of Manic Depression clearly need to be medicated, or that all brilliant artists suffer from a simple (or not so simple) mood disorder, these answers are really too easy. They are blanket statements that miss the subtle differences that make our world so interesting, and our minds each so unique. Rather than being tempted to provide these comforting if presumptive assertions based on optimisim, or even pessimism, Jamison simply asserts what is out there. The real important conlclusions shoud be left to be made on a case by case basis, based on communications with individuals. You cannot treat mannic depression through a book, no matter how good it is. Conclusions should be made based on a doctor-patient relationship, not based on un-trained interpretations of annecdotes and conceptual theories. As an important warnning, some may find the first few chapters, which largely discuss the symptoms of mannic depression in a coldly honest way, depressing. Some may find the few chapters after that, which chronicle the lives of some famous artists and writers with Manic Depression exhillarating. But, both these parts of the book should be carefully ballanced to understand that, in the last few chapters, the desperation and elation mix, and produce a very real, occaisonaly conflicted, but ultimately positive view of both Manic Depression and it's treatment. So be sure not to just read the first few chapters, and then give up because it's too depressing, because the books really important and even uplifting substance is at the end. Finaly, everyone seems more concerned with this book from a clinical point of view, in that it seems to be lumped together with a lot of other self-help/survivor biographies, but it is not. I would perfer to see this as a truly daring work of history and comparative literature. Jamison is one of the most elegant scientific writers, one of the most literate psychologists, and as far as I am concerned, a pre-eminent woman of letters. She has presented a very compelling documentation of the process by which many of the great works of western literature were produced, and a very humane insight into the lives of great writers who all to often are portrayed one-deminsionaly as James Dean style loners and outsiders, the stereotypical artist. Honestly, this book teaches you far more about literature than it does about Manic Depression (even though it teaches you a lot about affective mood disorders). Even for those not at all interested in psychology or Bi-Polar Affective Disorder, this is a great book for all that it shows about the history of western Art and Literature. I review it as a five star work of literary criticism with fresh ideas and exhaustively complete research.
Rating: 
Summary: You can be depressed without being a great artist
Review: This book is both psychological analysis and literary criticism. Its main thesis is that there is a causative connection between manic- depressive illness and creativity. But it chooses to establish this thesis in a largely anecodotal and inconclusive way. Of the tens or perhaps even hundreds of thousands of creative figures we know of as part of world culture she selects less than a dozen, and tells their story. She tells the story often with an overabundance of quotation and without great conviction. All this contrasts with the surprising power of her first book , " An Unquiet Mind".
There is another problem. All of us have moods, and that means that all of us are down sometimes. And that too means that most of us have a certain tendency to depression. Mankind is a bipolar creature in this sense perpetually on the continuum of moods. Does it make much sense to choose those artists who were deeply depressed and analyze that depression as cause of their art ? Why not analyze the much more numerous group of people who are not artists, or who failed completely in art and were depressed?
I also would say that the depressive, or manic - depressive label seems to me tremendously simple when it comes to talking about creative personalities whose understanding of moods , and whose creation of them is so various and rich. We know little about the emotional life of Shakespeare. Was the creator of so rich a world of characters depressed? What about Goethe with his Olympian serenity and his power of overcoming? Tolstoy was a very deep depressive but his major depression came after he had created his great works and not before it.
In short I am suspicious of the thesis of the work, and certainly do not believe it has been proven here. Redfield is a very good writer and provides much interesting information mainly in the literary department.
Rating:
Summary: WORTH THE READ
Review: Being a simple laymen, I dare not pass judgement as to the scientific validity of this book. I will say though, that I did enjoy it. It certainly gives food for thought and those dealing with and working with those suffering from bi-polar disorder, or living with them, should give it a try, even if for no other reason than to consider the subject from a different angle. I note a number of reviewers have used terms such as "sloppy science," and "dangerous assumptions." Lighten up folks. This is not a college or medical school text. To be honest, if you are bright enough to read the thing, you are bright enough to see it's weaknesses and take them into consideration. Anyway, the book is well done, gives you something to think about and is fun. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Kay does it again!
Review: Kay Jamison does it again. She really helps me understood my condition better and why I am so creative at times and not others. By reading this book, I have come to have a better grasp of my condition and to work to keep it under control.
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