It has been the only way I know to understand, indeed to accept, the illness I have it has also been the only way I know to try and make a difference in the lives of others who also suffer from mood disorders.” Intensely emotional as a child, mercurial as a young girl, first severely depressed as an adolescent, and then unrelentingly caught up in the cycles of manic-depressive illness by the time I began my professional life, I became, both by necessity and intellectual inclination, a student of moods. I recently requested that my boyfriend (who is amazingly supportive) read it, and he was surprised how much of it reminded him of me, particularly the alternating undergrad transcripts of failure to pass or complete classes with the occasional straight A’s and exemplary research.Ī very apropos quote from the beginning reads: “For as long as I can remember I was frighteningly, although often wonderfully, beholden to moods. Despite the fact that I consider books sacred objects that house the truths of the world, I took a pencil and made margin notes for the first time. At just over 200 pages, it’s not a marathon read, but there’s plenty to pore over. The honesty and truth ring through, and I could see myself in parts of it, making it very easy to relate to. The book is subtitled “A memoir of moods and madness” and it holds nothing back, going deeply into her volatile moods and the madness they created. It opened up possibilities I thought had long fled me.
One could have a real career–indeed, become a doctor–while living with a debilitating illness. This book touched me in so many ways, giving me a glimpse of the experiences of another person with my disease, and showing me that it didn’t have to be the proverbial death sentence. At the time, it was a quick read, but I lingered over paragraphs and phrases that seemed to echo my very existence. I found this book in a search for books on bipolar disorder very early in my diagnosis. Her story was the most inspirational thing I found while dealing with my diagnosis. Even though she was suffering greatly in its throes, she managed to put herself through medical school. Kay Redfield Jamison details the author’s experiences with bipolar disorder. Quite possibly the most influential book I’ve ever read, and certainly the most pertinent, An Unquiet Mind by Dr.
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