restless mind

An Autobiography of Mania, Depression, and Madness

Author Name: Kay Redfield Jamison

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Mental illnesses are widespread in our current era, rampant throughout the entire fabric of human societies. This is a time of panting, running, and fierce competition, which breeds anxiety and frustration. It is a time in which humans have become cogs in the machine of manufacturing and production, while their psychological and spiritual needs are hidden behind the curtains of their material needs and the myriad, intertwined luxuries of life. Despite the prevalence of mental illnesses and the large number of those afflicted, very little is known about the nature, details, and symptoms of these conditions. Social discourse forces people to conceal and obscure this suffering, surrounding themselves with extreme secrecy, lest they be accused of being insane. The patient prefers to swallow their suffering and endure their pain alone, without medical assistance. In our Arab societies, they often resort to charlatans and sorcerers, hoping to escape the nets of their suffering! The book "An Unquiet Mind" approaches this dilemma with strength and depth, touching closely on the feelings of someone who watches themselves slipping from their grasp and slipping beyond the limits of their control, so that they no longer recognize their features, distinguish their features, or determine their reactions. The book "An Unquiet Mind" by Dr. and academic specializing in psychology, Kay Redfield Jamison, takes the reader on an exceptional and exciting journey into the paths of a soul rich in emotions and poetic features, passing through the labyrinths of a sensitive, delicate self, exhausted by long suffering, and groaning under the pain it bears. This courageous and surprising autobiography is full of honesty, transparent revelation, and stunning depictions of the details of the pain and suffering endured by millions of people around the world, who then close their hearts to its events and developments, locking and barricading the outlets of that suffering so that it does not emerge, bringing shame, bad reputation, and a challenge to the security of what humans possess and what distinguishes them from other living things: the mind. How could the details and features of this exciting journey into the world of the magic of ecstasy and soaring in the horizons of art, literature, poetry and creativity, then the retrograde journey to gloom, melancholy and columns of darkness one upon the other, that if one puts out his hand one can hardly see them? A journey whose path is a mine of possibilities of death, and the desire to escape a life of pain and suffering are its most prominent titles. Who is that person who undergoes this experience? What are his psychological traits and poetic characteristics? How can a person of such great sensitivity, transparency, intelligence and distinction swing between the peaks of reason, imagination and achievement, then stagger and fall into the abyss of despair, madness and frustration? As the reader gasps and flips through the pages of the book, he cannot help but admire Dr. Jamison, who, in a moment of honesty, decided to take off the masks, tear off the veils, and come out into the open to recount her horrific experience with a cruel illness called “manic-depressive psychosis” or “bipolar disorder.” She did not care about the bad reputation that such a revelation might bring upon her, which could cost her not only her academic and therapeutic work, but also people’s respect for her, especially since her work is linked to treating anxious spirits and tormented souls, and delves far into the depths of the human psyche, trying to obtain its keys and codes. The book is a sincere cry and a call for revelation and disclosure that penetrates rugged areas that most autobiographers usually avoid and evade. Revelations of this kind are very rare, if not rare, as they transcend walls into virgin areas that have never been explored by pens or explored by visions. It is a thorny journey into the depths of the human psyche and within the ruggedness of its paths, to describe the most delicate emotions that Dr. Jamison experienced along her path, strewn with wounds and pain, on her journey that reaches its peaks to the enchanting ecstasy traveling on the wings of the goddess of love, poetry and beauty, then descends at its foothills to the darkness of the tunnels of insanity until reaching the edges of madness. The importance of this book comes from its attempt to create a shift in people's view of mental illnesses and their treatment of them, as it sheds light and illuminates the darkness surrounding manic-depressive psychosis in particular and other mental illnesses in general. The book also dispels the misconceptions associated with drug therapy, and emphasizes that there are those who need it, so that they do not fall prey to their pain and suffering, and so that the severity of that pain does not lead them to end their lives. The book also strongly emphasizes a practice that we lack in the Arab world, which is the importance of psychotherapy sessions and the important role of the therapist in supporting the patient, understanding their suffering, and illuminating spots of light in their dark path so that they may understand themselves and comprehend the details of their suffering. One of the most important things the book says and clarifies is that the illness that afflicts the soul is no different from that which afflicts the body, even if it is more painful and cruel.