An Unquiet Mind

The 1995 memoir was written by clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison. She is a leading expert on mood disorders and a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University.

The book chronicles Jamison's personal, lifelong struggle with severe bipolar disorder, which was once called manic-depressive illness. She details her terrifying highs, devastating depressions, and her initial resistance to taking lithium to manage her condition.

While it deals heavily with themes of severe mental illness and includes descriptions of her suicide attempt, it is written with deep clinical insight. Her dual perspective as both a patient and a practicing psychiatrist makes the narrative highly empathetic and educational.

She offers a rare, dual perspective as both an internationally recognized medical expert and someone who has lived with severe mental illness. She effectively bridges the gap between clinical research and the raw, personal reality of surviving a mood disorder.