Books / Lived experience, memoir & fiction
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
Psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison’s memoir describes her experience of bipolar illness alongside her career studying mood disorders. First published in 1995, it reflects on illness, treatment and disclosure.
Book details
Author of listed edition: Kay Redfield Jamison
Edition: First Vintage Books edition (library catalogue)
Publisher: Vintage
Edition year: 1996
First published: 1995
Language and origin: English (United States)
ISBN: 9780679763307
Form and genre: Memoir, Fiction & Lived Experience
Level: Introductory
Historical era: 1980–2009 · Evidence-Based, Trauma & Integrative Era
Covers: Jamison’s account of living with bipolar illness while working in academic medicine; Her reflections on treatment and disclosure; A personal perspective on the relationship between illness and professional life
APA 7th reference: Jamison, K. R. (1996). An unquiet mind: A memoir of moods and madness. Vintage Books. (Original work published 1995)
What it is
An Unquiet Mind is a memoir by clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, first published in 1995. The library catalogue dates the first Vintage Books edition listed here to 1996. The publisher lists the same ISBN with a 14 January 1997 sale date; the records also differ in page count.
What it covers
The publisher describes Jamison’s experience of bipolar illness while pursuing a career in academic medicine. The memoir presents an individual account of periods of elevated and depressed mood, treatment and disclosure.
A personal perspective
The memoir brings together a clinician’s professional and personal perspectives. Experiences of illness and treatment differ; one person’s account does not establish which care is appropriate for another person.
Scope and reading note
This is a personal memoir, not a clinical guide. The publisher describes an attempted suicide and episodes of violence. The book itself was not consulted for this record.
Paired academic and clinical scholarship
Paired work: Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression (2nd ed.) (Frederick K. Goodwin and Kay Redfield Jamison, 2007)
Reference: Goodwin, F. K., & Jamison, K. R. (2007). Manic-depressive illness: Bipolar disorders and recurrent depression (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
A textbook on bipolar disorders and recurrent depression by Goodwin and Jamison; it is distinct from Jamison’s memoir.
Source-mapped claims and evidence notes
Claim 1: Jamison describes her experience of bipolar illness and treatment while pursuing an academic career. (The publisher’s description was consulted; this individual account is not evidence of a universal treatment or experience.) [Source 1: Jamison, K. R. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. Vintage paperback. Penguin Random House Retail catalogue.]
Sources and inspection notes
Supports: Publisher record for the Vintage paperback (ISBN 9780679763307), sale date 14 January 1997, author and description. The book itself was not consulted.
Indiana University Libraries. An unquiet mind, catalogue record.
Supports: Library catalogue lists Knopf publication in 1995; the Vintage ISBN refers to a later paperback.
Stewart Library, Weber State University. An unquiet mind, catalogue record.
Supports: Lists the first Vintage edition with this ISBN as 1996, differing from the publisher’s 1997 on-sale date.