An Unquiet Mind: Picador Classic

I read this book shortly after a suicide attempt. It is a book I really needed at the time. The book talks about using Lithium for treating mania/depression and I was on Lithium at the time. It's been four years and I still return to it occasionally. It is written with so much warmth. It gives you the perspective of a patient as well as the doctor. It does not romanticize the illness like some other works about bipolar disorder. It is written like a scientific research. That's what you would expect from a researcher like Kay.

What a brave journey of the writer! It is always tough to tackle a mental health issue, and it is tougher to succeed in life tackling that. Kudos to the author of the book.

A psychiatrist Needs great guts to declare one is bipolar. This is a must read... A classic in medical literature

Kay Redfield Jamison in her memoir An Unquiet Mind beautifully and precisely narrates her experiences of madness, the manic-depression or bipolar mental disorder. She would feel another 'me' within her, not able to resolve which one was the real 'Kay Redfield Jamison.' Besides distortion in the moods, this madness destroys the roots of the rational thoughts, and too often erodes desire to live. Jamison narrates that her childhood and early adolescence were full of warmth, friendship, confidence and adventure. When she was fifteen irrational fears began to poke away her mind and cracks began to appear in her self-discipline and self-control. By the age of seventeen she was flying high. Coincidentally, her father was also taken over by depression. The secure base fell apart. Throughout her madness, Jamison's mother nurtured her with great warmth. No less caring was her brother. Her friends were also a dependable resource. This nourishment helped her to swim in the turbulent waters when she was very close to death. She always wanted a house full of children, but couldn't. There was darkness ready to weave it's way for Jamison after every triumph. A reader would enjoy the metaphysical narration of Jamison about her madness and enlightenment: "There was a neuronal pileup on the highways of my brain." During the high-flying times, Jamison found examination, laboratory work, and papers very easy. By twenty, Jamison joined research, and in quick succession got doctorate, and became professor of psychiatry in University of California. She still enjoys faculty positions at the Johns Hopkins and St. Andrews. Besides the preference for lithium, and talking cure, troubled helix, PET and MRI attracted Jamison's curiosity to understand manic-depression, her long lasting curiosity.

This is book about a disease written in novel style. Interesting to read and delightful to understand the problem which has no importance for those who does not suffer but has like exilir for sufferer. Must read.

I started the journey to seek answers to why my own mind is so unquiet. Ended up living through a life of someone very close to me. The first rule of living with any illness is to acknowledge that YOU have the said issue. Everything can be made better once that alignment is there.

Condition of the book was okayish. Not much impressed with the content of the book, was expecting more psychological aspects.

A bewitching memoir from every slant. This book would be a vital recommendation whilst being on our road in fellowship of minds.

Ich konnte das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen, obwohl es in englischer Sprache geschrieben ist. Die Autorin verwendet viele Adjektive, um alle Umstände treffend zu beschreiben und obwohl ich nicht jedes einzelne Wort versehen konnte, habe ich den Sinn verstanden. Es ist also gut zu lesen für jemanden, der einige Jahre Englisch in der Schule hatte. Inhaltlich beschreibt es die Ungeschützheit dieser Erkrankung. Man hat keine Wahl und stürzt in immer neue Höhen und Tiefen. Sehr ehrlich und mutig. Sehr zu empfehlen!

Para quem tem qualquer doença psiquiátrica (ou é próximo de alguém que tenha) é, sem dúvida, um livro imprescindível. Seja depressão, transtorno bipolar ou qualquer outro, porque a autora descreve de uma maneira que eu mesma não conseguiria muitas das minhas próprias vivências. Muito humano.

stunning peice of work

Thank you Kay Redfield Jamison for having taken the time and energy to expose us a life full of difficulties not only because bipolar disorder is an extremely difficult and exhausting medical condition to cope with, but also to share how the cognitive bias from all of us in front of such a common condition makes life painful and dangerous. This work contributes to make us more caring about bipolar disorder conditions.

This book touched my heart. As a fellow manic depressive sufferer I could identify with the experiences of the writer. It is remarkable about how similiar our experiences are. Kay writes from the heart and this is very captivating. She excellently describes how manic depression devastatingly affected her life and yet she strives to beat it. It gives me confidence that I too can beat this disease. I will certainly reccommend this book to my family and friends.