An Unquiet Mind

by Kay Redfield Jamison

freedom from the control imposed by medication loses its meaning when the only alternatives are death and insanity.

Moods are such an essential part of the substance of life, of one’s notion of oneself, that even psychotic extremes in mood and behavior somehow can be seen as temporary, even understandable, reactions to what life has dealt.

I longed for the days that I had known before madness and medication had insinuated their way into every aspect of my existence.