Limitless Corners with Their Limitless Views
“You become aware of an illness by understanding yourself and understanding the meaning that that illness has in your own life, symbolically and, more importantly, quite literally.”
Kay Redfield Jamison (“An Unquiet Mind”)
Kay Redfield Jamison, a clinical psychologist and specialist on mood disorders, published her book, “An Unquiet Mind,” in 1996. The “memoir of moods and madness” recounts Jamison’s life as an individual with manic depressive illness. The novel was first brought to my attention by a psychiatrist, who boasted about the book’s introspective account of one’s personal battle with bipolar disorder. After reading the book, I understood why the psychiatrist idolized this public figure for the impact she had on the field of mental health.
When Kay Jamison’s book was first published, it was a shock to the medical field. A psychiatrist openly admitting she has been diagnosed with a mental disorder, one as severe as bipolar disorder, was a courageous act. Kay Jamison describes her judgmental colleagues, relaying “there was the sense from some [colleagues] that I should be embarrassed by my revelations and when I was not, they were embarrassed for me.” Mental illness is often misunderstood, either by those who have had no exposure to it or those who choose to attribute it to a fallacy or misconception. Social stigmas surrounding mental illness have impeded on the progress of mental illness research and treatment for centuries. The de-normalization of mental illness has created a society in which people fear the individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder.
The stigma surrounding mental health is particularly dangerous because so many individuals have been, or will be, diagnosed with a mental disorder. Studies by Mental Health America have recorded that 1 in 5 adults are diagnosed with a mental health condition (Bekiempis, Victoria). In addition, 1 in 5 children, ages 13- 18, will develop a severe mental disorder during their lifetime. Because young adolescents are in a critical time of development, there are many external factors that factor into the development of a mental disorder. The topic of mental illness, so widely avoided, is an issue that affects many of the country’s population. Jamison discusses her hesitancy to seek help for the symptoms she was experiencing in her teenage and early college years. The widely negative public opinion of mental illness has impacted those with symptoms to seek help in a judgmental society. Due to the scarcity of resources and funding, many do not receive the care needed, which further exacerbates the issue of public neglect in mental health issues. In Kay Jamisons’ work, she combats the stereotypes and negative outlook toward mental health.
One of the most impactful topics Jamison reflects upon is suicidal feelings and suicide attempts. When she was 28 years old, she attempted to overdose on lithium. She survived because she answered the phone when her brother called to check on her. Many fans have approached her about their own suicide attempts during Jamisons’ book signings (Salomon, Maureen). The public’s positive and touching reaction to her book encouraged her to write Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide. This book is something to relate to on an issue that is a very sensitive topic for people. All of her books cover topics of great controversy in mental health and provide new insight into different mental disorders and their impact on an individual.
The method Kay Jamison used, in describing different stages in her life, gave the audience a full recollection of her past. The book begins with stories of Jamison’s early childhood experiences. Jamison discusses the impact of nurture, an individuals’ upbringing, on the development of psychiatric disorders. She further elaborates through examples from her childhood and instances from her young adulthood that influenced her disorder. From her family history of mental illness to very personal aspects of her close relationships, Kay Jamison opens up to her audience on an intimate level. Her honesty and self-reflection connect her with the readers and through her novel, helps her audience understand a complex mood disorder.
When she was diagnosed with the disorder in her twenties, it was a difficult adjustment. It took Jamison years to admit she had a disorder and to seek help. She fought for years to gain control of her life and overcome the times of suffering. The disorder is described by its interchanging periods of severe depression and mania, which are difficult for an individual to control. Kay Jamison’s novel describes her long periods of turmoil with these depressive and manic episodes. When one experiences the elation of mania there comes a point when, “the fast ideas are far too fast, and there are far too many; overwhelming confusion replaces clarity.” Her descriptions of mania and depression beautifully reveal the magnitude of the disorder, while sparking a sense of understanding in the reader.
The way she explains these two opposing mental states looks at the disorder through two different lenses. She has the unique ability to expand her comprehension of mood disorders, because she is diagnosed with one herself. Her background in psychiatry and her inner struggle with manic depressive illness provide a far greater insight into the implications and lifestyle of this disorder. What is unique about the book is her ability to describe the disease so clearly with both a realistic and compassionate note. As a health care professional, she was able to offer information that one could not fully grasp without the advantage of personal experience.
Many of Kay Redfield Jamison’s greatest accomplishments were achieved during her worst episodes of mania and depression. In addition to this, the majority of Jamison’s career was during a time period in which women had a great disadvantage in the medical field. Nevertheless, throughout college and the rest of her early twenties and thirties, she had a remarkable influence in the field of mental health. In 1977, she founded UCLA’s Affective Disorder Clinic, the first outpatient clinic at UCLA. She went on to study zoology and neurophysiology in Scotland. She was given tenure at UCLA and was the only female to serve on the medical board. Shortly after, she accepted a tenure position at Johns Hopkins. Each of these incredible accomplishments were during a time when she struggled to take care of herself in the most basic ways. Her descriptions of the grueling periods of depression and chaotic, yet euphoric spurts of mania did not inhibit her success. Her story is one of inspiration for any who have a mental disorder. She teaches an important lesson: the disorder will only hold you back if you let it. There is beauty in everything and Kay Jamison shows beauty in one of the most difficult mood disorders.
Jamison, exploring major issues in mental health, teaches her audience from an emotional and practical standpoint. Reflecting on her career as a psychiatrist, she discusses that many of her patients have had trouble consistently taking their medications. Her exploration into the reasons behind the high percentage of bipolar patients with trouble taking their medications touched on a major issue in bipolar treatment. From her recount of her own struggle with committing to her medications, she provides a better understanding of the motivating force that drives these individuals to seek mania. In “An Unquiet Mind,” she describes one of the first manic episodes she experienced, in which she felt like she could see and touch Saturn. The way in which she illustrates the experience provides a glimpse into what that state of euphoria felt like. She questions, “How can a trip to the rings of Saturn compare to the dull stability of normality?”
Through her writing, Kay Jamison not only peels back layers of understanding, but also instills a sense of hope in readers suffering with the disorder. Her epilogue is a publicly praised part of her book, for its inspirational message. She discusses a question she is often asked: If you could choose to have bipolar disorder, would you? She explains that despite all of the hardships she has endured, the extraordinary experiences and her capacity to feel beyond the normal scope have taught her to love this disorder. She believes that the beauty she has seen and the depths her mind has traveled are worth the prolonged periods of crippling depression. Much more than that, the hardships she has conquered proved to her the depth of her inner strength.
Two important ideas she wants to instill in her audience is comprehension and acceptance. If an individual is able to overcome the hardships and realize the beauty in what some deem a “misfortune,” it will lead toward acceptance. In the final sentence of her book, she reflects “I cannot imagine becoming jaded to life, because I know of those limitless corners with their limitless views.” Her ability to find the beauty in what some believe is a misfortune has fueled her success, while her personal recounts and openness is what sets her apart from her colleagues. She has the capability of providing hope in what can seem like a hopeless situation.
Society has a negative influence on the concept of mental illness and disorders. One of the largest roadblocks to self-acceptance with a disorder is the stigma surrounding these individuals and what mental illness implies. “An Unquiet Mind” is thought of as Kay Jamison’s’ most revolutionary work in mental health. The book was her brave way of introducing her disorder to her colleagues and to the public. Kay Jamison has been and continues to be an active fighter against stigma surrounding mental health and an educator on the prevalence and lack of public knowledge on mental illness. Her role in education is highly concentrated in her position as a professor at UCLA and Johns Hopkins and her role as a highly recognized guest lecturer at many prestigious colleges around the country, including Harvard University and the University of Oxford. In addition, she has published more than one hundred academic articles thus far. Because of her many contributions, she has received numerous awards for her work. One of her most prestigious accomplishments was her Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters, awarded due to her inspirational and influential work.
As a lecturer, she has been able to expand her audience and impact young adults in the prime of their scholarly studies. Many of her lectures have been based on her novel, “An Unquiet Mind.” The book has sparked the interest of many individuals studying and teaching about mental illness. The memoir was only one of her many influential published works. Another one of her most famous books, “Manic Depressive Illness,” has been coined ‘the bible of bipolar disorders.’ A quote from the New England Journal applauds the piece, stating that “the combination of compassion and science marks this book as psychiatry at its best.” The article goes on to say that there has been no equivalent piece of work on any mental disorder. Her way with words and the depth in her writing was capable of influencing an entire field in medicine and disproved many stigmas fighting against mental health.
Throughout her career, Kay Jamison has continued to fight the stereotypes surrounding individuals with a mental disorder, through examples of her own accomplishments and those of her patients. There are presumptions that individuals with mental illnesses are of less skill and potential. The name coined to describe differences in brain function, “disorder,” says it all. It is called a disorder or an illness, implying it is a sort of defect or ineptitude. Jamison proved these stereotypes incorrect. She became one of the most successful individuals in the medical field over the past century and has continued to revolutionize the practice of psychiatric and therapeutic medicine.
Kay Redfield Jamison expands the true meaning of the public intellectual. Her personal experiences with mental illness give her a credibility, which not many public intellectuals have. She has experienced living with a mental illness and chose to share it with the public, in hopes of impacting the progression of mental health in the future. She is worth listening to and learning from, because she has lived the things she swears by. She has tried the remedies and the coping mechanisms. She has made it through the suicide attempts and periods of self-harm. She has conquered the feeling of defeat and has achieved, in such little time, what most people could not do in a lifetime. What makes her most extraordinary is the compassion that drives her to share all she has endured and all she has learned with the public, in hopes of connecting with at least one individual.
“There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness, and terror involved in this kind of madness. When you're high it's tremendous. The ideas and feelings are fast and frequent like shooting stars, and you follow them until you find better and brighter ones. Shyness goes, the right words and gestures are suddenly there, the power to captivate others a felt certainty. There are interests found in uninteresting people. Sensuality is pervasive and the desire to seduce and be seduced irresistible. Feelings of ease, intensity, power, well-being, financial omnipotence, and euphoria pervade one's marrow. But, somewhere, this changes. The fast ideas are far too fast, and there are far too many; overwhelming confusion replaces clarity. Memory goes. Humor and absorption on friends' faces are replaced by fear and concern. Everything previously moving with the grain is now against-- you are irritable, angry, frightened, uncontrollable, and enmeshed totally in the blackest caves of the mind. You never knew those caves were there. It will never end, for madness carves its own reality.”
1. Salamon, M. (2015, January 1). Kay Redfield Jamison: Risk and reward. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.bphope.com/kay-redfield-jamison-risk-and-reward/
2. Bekiempis, V. (2014, February 28). NEARLY 1 IN 5 AMERICANS SUFFERS FROM MENTAL ILLNESS EACH YEAR. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.newsweek.com/nearly-1-5-americans-suffer-mental-illness-each-year-230608
3. Jamison, Kay R. (1996). An unquiet mind. New York :Vintage Books.