book data
2084 ratings, 3.95 average rating, 364 reviews
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published
May 9th 1997
by Picador
binding
Paperback, 240 pages
isbn
0330346512
(isbn13: 9780330346511)
description
From Kay Redfield Jamison - an international authority on manic-depressive illness, and one of the few women who are full professors of medicine at Am...more
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avg 3.95
Read in March, 2003
i was reading some reviews of the book written by people that disliked this.
i just want to say, that for a person suffering from mental illness, the fact that you know jamieson's full CV and her academic struggles is important. it's more of a - look, she was wildly successful, and dealing with this illness, and she finally came to terms with it, and now she's okay - and still wildly successful.
i also want to say how brave it was for her to write this under her own name. it does ...more
i just want to say, that for a person suffering from mental illness, the fact that you know jamieson's full CV and her academic struggles is important. it's more of a - look, she was wildly successful, and dealing with this illness, and she finally came to terms with it, and now she's okay - and still wildly successful.
i also want to say how brave it was for her to write this under her own name. it does ...more
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Read in December, 2007
I'm still not quite sure what I think of this book. It was recommended to me by a therapist thinking I would be interested as someone with bipolar disorder. Due to the source of the suggestion and the author of the book, an expert on and individual with bipolar disorder, I expected some practical insight into living with this disease. What I found was much different.
This book is labeled a memoir, and the writing style and content certainly fit the label. Unfortunately, the author seemed to t...more
This book is labeled a memoir, and the writing style and content certainly fit the label. Unfortunately, the author seemed to t...more
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Read in November, 2007
I was very disappointed by this book. I hoped to gain new insight into what it's like for someone with bipolar disorder, but this book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know just from researching on the Internet and being around the mental health community. Plus, it was almost too happy of a story -- "I had a lot of bad symptoms, but let me gloss over them, 'cause I took a pill, and hey, first pill I tried made me all better!" Maybe I'm exaggerating a tiny bit, but seriously,...more
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Read in August, 1996
recommends it for:
Anyone trying to deny they have this condition even after a positive diagnosis.
Think of this book as an autobiography and you can't go wrong. Kay Redfield Jamison hardly needs an introduction here; her life and work stand for themselves. She literally 'wrote the book' on bipolar disorder with co-author Fred Goodwin, M.D. called, simply enough, "Manic-Depressive Illness."
So this book, "An Unquiet Mind," is not a clinical study of bipolar disorder. It is a deep and personal inside look at what it's like to live with manic depression from the unique vie...more
So this book, "An Unquiet Mind," is not a clinical study of bipolar disorder. It is a deep and personal inside look at what it's like to live with manic depression from the unique vie...more
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Read in July, 2004
recommends it for:
those trying to understand manic depression, autobiography enthusiasts, glamorizers of insanity
An autobiography of a brilliant woman who suffered from manic depression (she resists the more watered down label "bipolar" because she thinks it hides the essential nature of the disease.) She made it through a PhD in psychology and became one of the foremost authorities in her field before finally getting the consistent treatment she needed. Just seeing how she was able to achieve such professional success while privately dealing with such hellish, frightening moments of near insan...more
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recommends it for:
Everyone
This was an outstanding read!!
I am a graduate school psych major and was first told about this book 8 years ago when I was a freshman undergrad. My "General Psychology" professor mentioned it to the 400 students in her lecture hall... and I happened to be paying attention. Shortly after I went and bought the book, well before I had even decided to become a psychologist. I am so glad that I listened to her and went to get this book! It has given me such a perspective into the mi...more
I am a graduate school psych major and was first told about this book 8 years ago when I was a freshman undergrad. My "General Psychology" professor mentioned it to the 400 students in her lecture hall... and I happened to be paying attention. Shortly after I went and bought the book, well before I had even decided to become a psychologist. I am so glad that I listened to her and went to get this book! It has given me such a perspective into the mi...more
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Read in January, 1997
recommended to Suzanne by:
my doctorrecommends it for: Parents and friends of people diagnosed with bi-polar disorder.
One of the best books I have read about bi-polar disorder (which I have).
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recommended to Karl by:
Hanna
I quite enjoyed this memoir, written by a woman who has been plagued by Manic-Depressive disorder for the better part of her life while at the same time becoming a leading researcher in its phenomenon. I feel it really provided a window into mental illness and those who suffer from it. Dr. Jamison writes in a very academic style which is very dry and generally formulaic, which is the only real problem I had with her writing. Its not a bad thing, its just a style that I do not prefer. This la...more
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Read in October, 2007
This book shed light on the experience my mother had of suffering from bipolar 1. The author, a doctor who works in psychiatry herself, is inspirational in sharing her story with such insight, honesty and sensitivity. It is scary to think there are so many senseless deaths each year because people are afraid to come forward to get the help that will change their life. I was surprised to learn that this is especially prevalent with people working in the world of medicine or the millitary. The ...more
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I had hoped for so much from this book. It is written by a psychologist who suffers from BiPolar Disorder. What insight she would share I thought. While there are some beautiful passages explaining her "white manias" and how engrossing these moods can be, overall it is just another memoir. It is wonderful this woman has risen to such heights in academia despite her disease and suicide attempt. I truly wanted some greater insight into the mind of a bipolar person. She tries but it is to...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
those close to people with bi-polar disorder.
I read this book because I know a few people with bi-polar disorder (aka. are manic-depressive). I needed to learn how to understand and to function with these people, and a psychiatrist recommended this book. I was a little taken aback that it was a memoir, and not a more exhaustive non-fiction kind of reference thing, but most people probably find this much easier to read than the technical-but-engaging book that I was looking for. I feel that there is a lot more reading that I could do, but t...more
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Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
mindy
DR. J, aside from being a well known clinical psychologist, also has the gift of writing. She decribes fairly well the seemingly indescribable highs and lows of the manic-depressive. She does delve some into the medical aspect of the disease but this is mostly a personal account of what she went through in 30+ years of suffering and finally coping with the illness. Some parts are sad but - refreshingly - there's little in the way of self-pity. recommended to fellow medical students who've wo...more
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Read in July, 2008
I was really curious about this book, and I did learn quite a bit about manic-depressive illness. I definitely admire the author, who is impressively intelligent and courageously candid about her disease. I was really interested to read about her struggles to continue taking medication for her illness, as well as her belief that there are aspects of manic-depression that are positive. I felt that the book gave me a new perspective on some of the friends I've had who have dealt with depression...more
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Read in October, 1995
recommends it for:
anyone who's interested in human psychology, who enjoys autobiography
I really enjoyed this book. It’s incredibly well written. The author: She’s truly brilliant. She comes across as completely honest and she allows herself to be vulnerable in the telling of her story, which makes her exceedingly likeable. Kay Redfield Jamison is a psychiatrist, an authority on bipolar disorder, and suffers from the condition herself. And she’s written a terrific book about bipolar disorder and her life experience. And no, I’m not using too much hyperbole!
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Read in September, 2007
A quick and engaging read for anyone who wants to understand bipolar disorder. It helped me grasp the allure of having a deadly disease and the struggles of having a brilliant and yet imbalanced mind. She writes with a great reverance of love and life. I just wish she had delved more into her family's struggles since they also suffered from the disease, and explained how she coped with a demanding career in the midst of madness.
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Read in June, 2004
Kay Jamison was a bright, ambitious medical student. She also had bipolar disease, which in her day was called manic depression, and she was largely in denial about it until the lows nearly killed her. This is a compelling account of her personal journey toward some wholeness with lithium treatment, and coming to terms with how she would never have the brilliant highs of her mania to send her into ecstasy -- but she would have her life.
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Read in May, 2008
This is a book that looks into the heart of manic depressive disorder and brings it into its true light. She tells of her own elation and great sadness as she travails the agony of this disorder. I hope others will see the book as it is: an amazing book that sheds light on a terrible mood disorder. A disorder that can drive an absolutely intelligent person to doubt themselves and their ability to survive this madness.
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So I briefly skimmed and cited this book for a paper that I'm writing, but the book looks pretty good, actually. I may read it recreationally. Um..firefox doesn't like my spelling of recreationally, and it's underlining it? Wants me to change it to "recreation ally". What the fuck. Dictionary says I spelled it right. STOP INCORRECTLY CORRECTING ME. I'LL KICK YOUR FACE OFF.
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If you found "Year of Magical Thinking" tedious for it's over-simplification of a much larger problem because of the author's privilege, this book may piss you off even more. Kay, I refer to her by first name, cannot seem to shed her academic psychological background to tackle her own issues. I was disappointed.
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Read in June, 2008
Beautifully written, very reflective memoir. I was happy that in the end she addressed the two things that bothered me most throughout the book (her description of herself as "mad" and "insane" and the conflicts that arise when one's profession is so closely tied to one's personal experience.
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