Brittany Tainsh

Dr. Hoke
Abnormal Psychology
4 November 2015
An Unquiet Mind
Section I:
1.

A) This pattern of shifting moods and energies had a very seductive side to it, in large part
because of fitful reinfusions of the intoxicating moods that I had enjoyed in high school.
These were quite extraordinary, filling my brain with a cataract of ideas and more than
enough energy to give me at least the illusion of carrying them out (Jamison 42).
B1) My recollection of the situation was that I was perhaps a bit high, but primarily I
remember talking to scads of people, feeling that I was irresistibly charming, and zipping
around from hors doeuvre to hors doeuvre, and drink to drink. I talked to the chancellor
for a long time. . . Whatever he actually felt, I was sure he was finding me
captivating (Jamison 70).
B2) I kept on with my life at a frightening pace. I worked ridiculously long hours and slept
next to not at all (Jamison 79).
B3) They were less than transfixed with my insights into the webbings and beauties of the
universe, although considerably impressed by how exhausting it was to be around my
enthusiastic ramblings: Youre talking to fast, Kay. Slow down, Kay. Youre wearing me
out, Kay (Jamison 37).

B7) Unfortunately, it was not only a crazy decision to buy a horse, it was also stupid. I

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may as well have saved myself the trouble of cashing my Public Health Service
fellowship checks, and fed him the checks directly: besides shoeing him and boarding him
with veterinary requirements that he supplement his regular diet with a kind of horsey
granola that cost more than a good pear brandyI also had to buy him special orthopedic
shoes to correct, or occasionally correct, his ongoing problems with lameness (Jamison
56).
2. A2) I lost all interest in my schoolwork, friends, reading, wandering, or daydreaming. I had
no idea what was happening to me. . . (Jamison 44)
A5) My office was adjacent to his, and he would, during my depressed times, ask about
how I was feeling, and comment that I looked tired or pensive or discouraged, and ask
what he could do to help (Jamison 54).
A6) I would wake up in the morning with a profound sense of dread that I was going to
have to somehow make it through another entire day. I would sit for hour after hour in the
undergraduate library, unable to muster up enough energy to go to class (Jamison 44).
A8) During those times I could not imagine writing another paper, and I was incapable of
comprehending any of the journal articles that I would try to read. Supervising and
teaching were ordeals (Jamison 131).
A9) At one point I bought a gun, but, in a transient wave of rational thought, I told my
psychiatrist; reluctantly, I got rid of it. Then for many months I went to the eight floor of
the stairwell of the UCLA hospital and, repeatedly, only just resisted throwing myself off

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the ledge (Jamison 115).
3. Kay meets the diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder because she has had both manic and depressive
episodes that are not better explained by a Schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Kay does not meet
the diagnosis of Bipolar II Disorder because she does not meet criterion B; she has had manic
episodes.

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Section II:
Talking about mental illness publicly is a daunting task. There is stigma surrounding all
mental disorders, despite how common they are in society. Kay Redfield Jamison seamlessly
explains her experiences with bipolar disorder, as well as the struggles that she faced in all
aspects of her life due to it through her book entitled, An Unquiet Mind. For anyone that has
struggled with Bipolar disorder, or even just depression or mania on their own, her book is
extremely relatable. She talks about experiences that are common for people with these illnesses
and through her story lets them know that they are not alone.
I believe that a large part of the onset of mental disorders is due to maladjustment to
changes and/or instability in ones environment. For Kay, her entire life was ripped out from
under her when her father accepted a job offer in California. She explains, The past was indeed
the past. The comfortable world of the military and Washington was gone: everything had
changed. My brother had gone off to college before we moved to California, leaving a large hole
in my security net (Jamison 33-4). She continues to describe her experiences with the move and
none of them are joyous. Her father became irritable. She constantly cried at the loss of her
friends and boyfriend. In one way or another, I believe this change was part of the reason that her
illness began. Kay describes her depression and manic states towards the end of high school as
unbearable. She often poured vodka into her orange juice before school in an attempt to get
through the day. In her late teens, Kay was unable to cope with the drastic changes in her
environment, so her body did it in another way, through Bipolar Disorder.
Part of the reason that I feel so strongly about instability influencing mental illness is due
to the instability within my own life. There has been a constant change in step parents, homes,
and people around me since as early as I can remember. These changes made me feel insecure. I

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could never get comfortable with anyone, or in any place, because before I knew it, it would all
be gone again. By seventh grade, I had been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Since
then, I have done a lot of thinking about what led to that state. Why was I so crazy? I am sure
that there are many biological reasons that I was in that state, however, I narrowed it down to my
inability to trust leading me to be unable to be happy.
This book had a great impact on me because I relate to Kay and her experiences
throughout her education. She states, I have no idea how I managed to pass as normal in school,
except that other people are generally caught up in their own lives and seldom notice despair in
others if those despairing make an effort to disguise the pain (Jamison 39). It has always
perplexed me that there has only ever been one teacher that has asked me if anything is wrong.
During my junior year of high school, I was pulled out of class and my teacher kindly told me
that she believed I was depressed and needed to see someone. This was after I had missed 6 or 7
days of school in the matter of two weeks because I never wanted to get up. It was also after I
convinced myself that my therapist was a ghost and refused to go back. She became a great
comfort to me on the days that I felt especially down. She reminds me a lot of the second
professor that Kay worked with on research. She would ask me what was wrong, share stories
about her experiences with me, and give me a safe haven when I needed to get away from
another class. I think we need more teachers and professors that are competent in the field of
psychology. Whether or not they are able to diagnose mental disorders is not of much
importance, but they must be able to tell when something is truly wrong. If Kays teachers in
high school had been able to do this for her earlier, she may have been convinced to see a
psychiatrist sooner and struggled much less throughout her life.

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It wasnt until Kay had graduated and joined the UCLA faculty that she finally decided to
see a psychiatrist. She recalls that, He made it unambivalently clear that he thought I had manicdepressive illness and that I was going to need to be on lithium indefinitely (Jamison 87). This
statement made me wonder whether or not medicine can ultimately fix mental illnesses. Kay
goes on to tell that it is only a mixture of psychotherapy and medicine that is able to do this, not
pills alone. However, even knowing this, I, much like Kay, do not want to take pills. No pill can
help me deal with the problem of not wanting to take pills (Jamison 89). Eventually, her lack of
taking lithium regularly harmed her more than helping her. This book has made me decide to go
back to therapy. Eventually, I may go back on antidepressants to complement this as well,
however that may take some time before I am ready to.
Kays story is a touching one. For me, it was extremely relatable. It was wonderful to
hear about experiences that are similar to my own from a woman that has been so successful
despite her illness. It was not only relatable, but also caused me to reflect on the importance of a
stable environment, support, and treatment. I have learned many lessons through this book, but
the most important is that people with mental disorders are not alone. There will be someone
there to help if they just look in the right place when they are ready to.