A review by btlitell
The Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison

informative inspiring reflective

5.0

 

"Do we risk making the world a blander, more homogenized place if we get rid of the genes for manic-depressive illness – an admittedly impossible complicated scientific problem? What are the risks to the risk takers, those restless individuals who join with others in society to propel the arts, business, politics, and science? Are manic-depressives, like spotted owls and clouded leopards, in danger of becoming an “endangered species”?" -Kay Jamison

This book is on many lists of "books about bipolar to read" and I figured I would see why that is. I feel I have said this a lot lately, but non-fiction is not my go-to reading material though I am glad I stepped out of my norms for this.

As someone who was diagnosed with Bipolar II but am uncertain if that diagnosis is accurate (maybe it's Bipolar I, it's hard to tell) and who has been dealing with a lot of brain bullying in recent weeks, this is a book that I think I needed to read. Hearing someone else describe their struggles with bipolar helps me see that others who were dealt similar cards in life are at least making it to the next round in the game of life and that I can to. The question of "what could I possibly have done to deserve this" still floats in my mind because, as I said earlier, my brain is a bully, but it's good to hear that I'm not alone. Like the author, I too wonder from time to time if I would remove this condition if I could, and while I do and have struggled to feel anything approaching normal, bipolar is part of who I am. Given 3 wishes from a genie, I would not wish this away.

If you know someone with bipolar and want to understand more about what may be going on internally, this book is worth the read. If you have bipolar, I would also recommend this book to you if only to hear of the struggles and victories of someone else.

I borrowed this from my library and will buy a physical copy to reference and annotate later.