It is important to value intellect and discipline, of course, but it is also important to recognize the power of irrationality, enthusiasm and vast energy. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
Mood disorders are terribly painful illnesses, and they are isolating illnesses. And they make people feel terrible about themselves when, in fact, they can be treated. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
I love animals, and I was always attracted to the idea of being a zoo veterinarian or a veterinarian with the circus. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
Moods are complicated and very much a part of who we are. People would be very boring without them. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
I have had manic-depressive illness, also known as bipolar disorder, since I was 18 years old. It is an illness that ensures that those who have it will experience a frightening, chaotic and emotional ride. It is not a gentle or easy disease. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
There is no common standard for education about diagnosis. Distinguishing between bipolar depression and major depressive disorder, for example, can be difficult, and mistakes are common. Misdiagnosis can be lethal. Medications that work well for some forms of depression induce agitation in others. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
Because I teach and write about depression and bipolar illness, I am often asked what is the most important factor in treating bipolar disorder. My answer is competence. Empathy is important, but competence is essential. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
I say I’m an academic: a professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. And I write. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
It’s more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on college campuses is exactly that reason. It’s terribly important to talk to students about knowing these things in advance. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
People talk about grief as if it’s kind of an unremittingly awful thing, and it is. It is painful, but it’s a very, very interesting sort of thing to go through, and it really helps you out. At the end of the day, it gets you through because you have to reform your relationship, and you have to figure out a way of getting to the future. Kay Redfield Jamison Read Quote
