Overview This essay will serve as a reflection on An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison. It will provide you with the opportunity to utilize critical thinking skills to integrate theory and practice with a reflective component. The paper should be six to eight pages in length (not including the title page or the reference page), typed, double-spaced with APA format of citations where appropriate. Instructions Please respond to the following reflection questions: 1. What were two clinical issues that emerged for you from the memoir? Why did these issues catch your attention? 2. What is your impression of the changes in the assessment and treatment of mania/bi-polarity since the time of the authors story? What are two differences you noticed between her experience and current practice? 3. What might be your reaction to the client if she had been referred to you during one of her manic periods? What are the characteristics about her and about you that might create barriers or might facilitate relationship? 4. What skills do you think would be most helpful to you in responding to a client like Ms. Redfield Jamison? 5. The author writes about how she is able to function in her job responsibilities during the times in which she is most ill. What is your reaction to her decision to continue to see clients and to not seek treatment for such a long period in her life? What are the ethical dimensions of her behaviors? 6. What did you learn from reading this book? What insights about the disorder, about the treatment of the disorder, and about social work practice arose from reading this book? Reference Jamison, K. R. (1996). An unquiet mind. New York, NY: Vintage Books. Part Four: An Unquiet Mind n her bestselling classic, An Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison changed the way we think about moods and madness. Dr. Jamison is one of the foremost authorities on manic-depressive (bipolar) illness; she has also experienced it firsthand. For even while she was pursuing her career in academic medicine, Jamison found herself succumbing to the same exhilarating highs and catastrophic depressions that afflicted many of her patients, as her disorder launched her into ruinous spending sprees, episodes of violence, and an attempted suicide. Here Jamison examines bipolar illness from the dual perspectives of the healer and the healed, revealing both its terrors and the cruel allure that at times prompted her to resist taking medication. An Unquiet Mind is a memoir of enormous candor, vividness, and wisdoma deeply powerful book that has both transformed and saved lives. PRAISE An invaluable memoir of manic depression, at once medically knowledgeable, deeply human and beautifully written . . . at times poetic, at times straightforward, always unashamedly honest. The New York Times Book Review Stands alone in the literature of manic-depression for its bravery, brilliance and beauty. Oliver Sacks Jamisons [strength] is in the gutsy way she has made her disease her lifes work and in her brilliant ability to convey its joys and its anguish. . . . Extraordinary. Washington Post Book World The most emotionally moving book Ive ever read about the emotions. William Safire, The New York Times Magazine Written with poetic and moving sensitivity . . . a rare and insightful view of mental illness from inside the mind of a trained specialist. Time Enlighting . . . eloquent and profound. San Francisco Chronicle Piercingly honest. . . . Jamisons literary coming-out is a mark of courage. People Brave, insightful, richly textured and chillingly authentic. Boston Globe A riveting portrayal of a courageous brain alternating between exhilarating highs and numbing lows. James D. Watson, Nobel laureate and author of The Double Helix In a most intimate and powerful telling, Jamison weaves the personal and professional threads of her life together. . . . [She] brings us inside the disease and helps us understand manic depression. . . . What comes through is a remarkably whole person with the grit to defeat her disease. Cleveland Plain Dealer A riveting read. I devoured it at a single sitting and found the book almost as compelling on a second read. . . . An Unquiet Mind may well become a classic. . . . Jamison sets an example of courage. Howard Gardner, Nature Stunning. . . . [An] exquisite (in both a literary and medical sense) autobiography. . . . This is an important, wonderful book. Jackson Clarion Ledger Extraordinary. . . . An Unquiet Mind must be read. The New England Journal of Medicine A beautiful, funny, original book. Powerfully written, it is a wonderful and important account of mercurial moods and madness. I absolutely love this book. Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides A landmark. . . . The combination of the intensity of her personal life and the intellectual rigor of her professional experience make the book unique. . . . A vibrant and engaging account of the life, love and experience of a woman, a therapist, an academic, and a patient. British Medical Journal Affecting, honest, touching . . . fluid, felt and often lyrical. Will Self, The Observer (London) Quite astonishing. . . . Cuts through the dead jargon and detached observations of psychiatric theory and practice to create a fiery, passionate, authentic account of the devastation and exaltation, the blindness and illumination of the psychotic experience. The Sunday Times (London) Rises to the poetic and has a mystical touch. . . . A courageous and fascinating book, a moving account of the life of a remarkable woman. The Daily Telegraph (London) Fast-paced, startlingly honest and frequently lyrical. . . . Jamison has] a novelists openness of phrase and talent for bringing character alive. Scotland on Sunday Superbly written. . . . A compelling work of literature. Independent on Sunday (London) As a mental health therapist, this book has become an important educational tool that I often recommend to patients and their families. It can be immensely helpful aid in the understanding of the illness. I often ask people to keep in mind that when the book was written, lithium was virtually the best option for persons with her type of bipolar disorder. Now there are many excellent medication options for the treatment of this disorder. This is a book I would read again and I will keep recommending it. She is truly an inspiration of survival.
