---
product_id: 1423355
title: "An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness"
price: "€ 20.89"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1423355-an-unquiet-mind-a-memoir-of-moods-and-madness
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

**Price:** € 20.89
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
- **How much does it cost?** € 20.89 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1423355-an-unquiet-mind-a-memoir-of-moods-and-madness)

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## Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A deeply powerful memoir about bipolar illness that has both transformed and saved lives—with a new preface by the author. 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.

Review: A Brilliant and Unflinching Portrait of Bipolar Disorder - Reading Kay Redfield Jamison’s An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness is both terrifying and strangely affirming. As someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder, much of what she describes feels both comfortably and uncomfortably familiar. There is a particular kind of recognition that happens when you read a sentence and realize: someone else has lived this exact storm. While my own bipolar episodes—both manic and depressive—have been milder compared to Dr. Jamison’s, her memoir is a powerful reminder that this illness demands vigilance. Mania can feel seductive; depression can feel endless. The book reinforces for me the importance of discipline, self-awareness, and consistent treatment so that I do not fall into the depths where moods spiral beyond control. What makes this memoir extraordinary is not just the honesty, but the authority with which she writes. Dr. Jamison is both a patient and a clinician. That dual perspective gives the book a rare credibility—intellectually rigorous yet emotionally raw. She does not romanticize mania, nor does she dramatize suffering for effect. Instead, she presents bipolar disorder in all its complexity: the brilliance, the destructiveness, the fragility, and the resilience. Her account resonated deeply with my own history. I have lived through episodes of hypomania that felt expansive and productive, followed by periods of depression that narrowed the world into something painfully small. I have survived five suicide attempts in the past—moments that now feel distant yet still part of my story. Reading her reflections on despair, treatment, and recovery reminded me that survival itself is a form of quiet courage. Perhaps what moved me most is that An Unquiet Mind does not offer simplistic hope. It offers something more mature: the possibility of stability, meaning, and a full intellectual life even with a chronic illness. Dr. Jamison demonstrates that one can be brilliant, accomplished, and deeply human while living with bipolar disorder. That is not romanticization—it is testimony. This is not an easy book to read, especially if you see yourself in its pages. But it is an important one. It is clinical without being cold, intimate without being indulgent, and hopeful without being naive. For anyone living with bipolar disorder—or loving someone who is—this memoir is both a mirror and a lifeline.
Review: Truly Insightful and Well Written/Expressed - It gives a true and unhidden view into the mind of a person not only struggling with bipolar but living with it as well. Kay Jamison is truly an icon of not only living with bipolar but also striving for success through her life, works, novels and studies. I was very moved by not only her information, but how she portrays her information and writing in her novel it is almost as if you can feel here highs and lows through her writing. I can't wait to read her other books notably Touched with Fire as well as Night Falls Fast.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #9,109 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Coping with Bipolar Disorder #5 in Depression (Books) #350 in Memoirs (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,316 Reviews |

## Images

![An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61pto-dtGsL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Brilliant and Unflinching Portrait of Bipolar Disorder
*by J***F on March 3, 2026*

Reading Kay Redfield Jamison’s An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness is both terrifying and strangely affirming. As someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder, much of what she describes feels both comfortably and uncomfortably familiar. There is a particular kind of recognition that happens when you read a sentence and realize: someone else has lived this exact storm. While my own bipolar episodes—both manic and depressive—have been milder compared to Dr. Jamison’s, her memoir is a powerful reminder that this illness demands vigilance. Mania can feel seductive; depression can feel endless. The book reinforces for me the importance of discipline, self-awareness, and consistent treatment so that I do not fall into the depths where moods spiral beyond control. What makes this memoir extraordinary is not just the honesty, but the authority with which she writes. Dr. Jamison is both a patient and a clinician. That dual perspective gives the book a rare credibility—intellectually rigorous yet emotionally raw. She does not romanticize mania, nor does she dramatize suffering for effect. Instead, she presents bipolar disorder in all its complexity: the brilliance, the destructiveness, the fragility, and the resilience. Her account resonated deeply with my own history. I have lived through episodes of hypomania that felt expansive and productive, followed by periods of depression that narrowed the world into something painfully small. I have survived five suicide attempts in the past—moments that now feel distant yet still part of my story. Reading her reflections on despair, treatment, and recovery reminded me that survival itself is a form of quiet courage. Perhaps what moved me most is that An Unquiet Mind does not offer simplistic hope. It offers something more mature: the possibility of stability, meaning, and a full intellectual life even with a chronic illness. Dr. Jamison demonstrates that one can be brilliant, accomplished, and deeply human while living with bipolar disorder. That is not romanticization—it is testimony. This is not an easy book to read, especially if you see yourself in its pages. But it is an important one. It is clinical without being cold, intimate without being indulgent, and hopeful without being naive. For anyone living with bipolar disorder—or loving someone who is—this memoir is both a mirror and a lifeline.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Truly Insightful and Well Written/Expressed
*by C***E on December 16, 2025*

It gives a true and unhidden view into the mind of a person not only struggling with bipolar but living with it as well. Kay Jamison is truly an icon of not only living with bipolar but also striving for success through her life, works, novels and studies. I was very moved by not only her information, but how she portrays her information and writing in her novel it is almost as if you can feel here highs and lows through her writing. I can't wait to read her other books notably Touched with Fire as well as Night Falls Fast.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bipolar I focused. Eloquent language.
*by L***H on December 3, 2013*

Recommended by a therapist. I enjoyed the book, but it somehow left me "disappointed". Agree with others that she could have written more about actually living with the disorder, and how difficult it can be. I would also like a layman's description of the mechanism of action of lithium, at least as believed at that time. I guess it made me feel more confident about people dx with bp exposing themselves, for the greater good of the community. It didn't make me confident to put that on any school applications though. Her environment was perfect. Perfect access to mental health care, competent psychiatrists, that are generally inadequately available to the general public. Her side effects of vomiting, etc.... that might be worse for people with BP type 2 than the actual disorder itself? She can't say though because she had very severe BP type 1. She went way overboard with the descriptiveness. I guess she was trying to make a metaphor of mania/depression though. I agree that this may be more useful to family members. I really liked this review: "I'm still not quite sure what I think of this book. It was recommended to me by a therapist thinking I would be interested as someone with bipolar disorder. Due to the source of the suggestion and the author of the book, an expert on and individual with bipolar disorder, I expected some practical insight into living with this disease. What I found was much different. This book is labeled a memoir, and the writing style and content certainly fit the label. Unfortunately, the author seemed to try too hard, and quite unsuccessfully, to become a writer of creative non-fiction. This frustrated me extremely and made it difficult to actually finish the book. Still, I tend to be unnecessarily harsh when it comes to writing skills. My inner lit snob simply won't shut up. What seriously complicates my opinion of this book, however, is whether the author intended to give hope to individuals with bipolar depression. As previously mentioned, I expected just that from this book based on its presentation to me. Instead, I found myself wanting the author to remember more clearly how difficult it sometimes is for a person with bipolar disorder to see a way out. I found myself highly skeptical of the author's management of the illness considering her unlimited access to psychiatric treatment and information from experts. I think this book may be more useful to friends and family of people with bipolar disorder than those trying to dig their way out from mania or depression. I guess I like what this book tries to do, but I'm not convinced it was well done."

## Frequently Bought Together

- An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
- The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
- Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament

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*Product available on Desertcart Croatia*
*Store origin: HR*
*Last updated: 2026-06-06*