10 Riveting Books Which Explore The Theme Of Insanity

6. An Unquiet Mind - Kay Redfield Jamison Probably THE definitive book on manic depression/bipolar disorder, Jamison recounts her own battle with the illness that started when she was a young teenage girl and went on to colour her life in many different shades. Jamison takes us by the hand into the land of bipolar, which in its manic form can be very alluring but most often involves desperate, debilitating depression and frequently suicide. Kay fought long and hard for her sanity and in the process, became a world expert on bipolar by the time she was 40, despite frequently being caught up in the melee of the disease herself. Jamison is a powerful writer and this book is probably the Bible of Bipolar. An expert who intimately knows the disease herself - Jamison has touched many readers' hearts and saved lots of lives (she also wrote an authoritative book on suicide called Night Falls Fast). It takes great bravery from an academic to admit to suffering the very same mental illness that they are researching. Credibility could be undermined, but Jamison turned her experiences into strategies to help people with Bipolar, to write a book that resonates with them and also to capture the nuances and peculiarities of the illness. A must read book if you are in any way affected with Bipolar.