Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Bipolar Disorder PDF
Preview Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Bipolar Disorder
Advance Acclaim for Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with Bipolar Disorder “Jamieson’s brilliant insight into the young bipolar patient is incredible. But, more important, Mind Race is a must-read for both teenagers with the disorder and their families in learning to cope with this illness, because it will save lives.” —Andy Behrman, author of Electroboy: A Memoir of Mania “Patrick Jamieson has written a good, solid primer for young people diag- nosed with bipolar disorder and for their families. His book is full of sound, no-frills advice from someone who knows what it means to live with bipo- lar disorder. Jamieson has used the advice in this book to rescue himself from the perils of bipolar disorder and has made a fulfilling life for himself. I hope my own children will do as well.” —Paul Raeburn, author of Acquainted with the Night, a memoir of raising children with depression and bipolar disorder “An incredibly important work, and a road map to hope for young people living with bipolar disorder.” —Bev Cobain, author of When Nothing Matters Anymore: A Survival Guide for Depressed Teens “Mind Race is the book Patrick Jamieson ‘searched for and could not find’ when he was 15. Reflecting on his adolescent years, Jamieson renders a gripping, firsthand account of his struggle with bipolar disorder. Mind Race deftly weaves the author’s personal narrative with current medical infor- mation on diagnosis and treatment. Most important, Jamieson demon- strates that the illness can be managed, emphasizing that ‘the illness is not our identity.’ Adolescents and young adults facing the challenges of bipolar disorder will draw both inspiration and information from this unique con- tribution to the growing literature on bipolar disorder.” —Kate C. Pravera, Ph.D., Executive Director Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands’ Adolescent Mental Health Initiative Patrick Jamieson, Ph.D., series editor In addition to Mind Race, other books in this series for young people are planned on the following topics: Depression (2006) Addiction (2007) Eating Disorders (2007) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (2007) Schizophrenia (2007) Social Anxiety Disorder (2007) Also available in the series for parents and other adults: If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder (2005) Dwight L. Evans, M.D., and Linda Wasmer Andrews If Your Adolescent Has an Eating Disorder (2005) B. Timothy Walsh, M.D., and V. L. Cameron If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder (2006) Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., and Linda Wasmer Andrews If Your Adolescent Has Schizophrenia (2006) Raquel E. Gur, M.D., Ph.D., and Ann Braden Johnson, Ph.D. Mind Race A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with Bipolar Disorder Patrick E. Jamieson, Ph.D. with Moira A. Rynn, M.D. The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands’ Adolescent Mental Health Initiative 2006 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania Oxford University Press Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2006 by Patrick E. Jamieson Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jamieson, Patrick E., 1973– Mind race : A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience With Bipolar Disorder/ Patrick E. Jamieson with Moira A. Rynn. p. cm. — (Adolescent mental health initiative) “The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, the Annenberg Public Policy Center.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-530906-5 (cloth-13) ISBN-10: 0-19-530906-5 (cloth) ISBN-13: 978-0-19-530905-8 (paper-13) ISBN-10: 0-19-530905-7 (pbk) 1. Manic-depressive illness in adolescence. I. Rynn, Moira A. II. Title. III. Series. RC516.J35 2006 616.89’5—dc22 2006002139 Parts of the Diagnostic Criteria for Manic Episode and for Major Depressive Episode are reprinted with permission from The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Copyright © 2000, American Psychiatric Association. 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For my son, Finnian James Contents Foreword xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv One There and Back: A Bipolar Trip 1 Bipolar High School 3 A Literary-Minded Delusion 8 A Quick Reflection 9 Two How It All Began 11 Oahu, Hawaii 11 Austin, Texas 12 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 17 Bipolar 101 22 The Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield and Manic Depression 30 Three What Do Doctors Know About Bipolar Disorder and How Do They Know It? 33 The Different Types of Bipolar Disorder 35 vii viii Contents The Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder 37 Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder: A Close-Up of the Difficulties 44 What “Causes” Bipolar Disorder? 46 Can Other Conditions Occur With Bipolar Disorder? 49 The Dangers of Doing Nothing 51 The Bottom Line 52 Four Getting Help 53 Medication 54 Psychotherapy 61 Other Therapies 66 How to Handle Suicidal Thoughts 69 Hospitalization 70 Five The Psychiatric Ward 71 From Kitchen Floor to Emergency Door 71 The “Patient” Is a Risk . . . 80 Sailing the Bureaucracy of Boredom 85 Is Getting Weirder Normal? 87 Stigma 90 Six The Illness Is Not Our Identity 94 Words, Words, and More Words: The Tyranny of Labels 94 The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Misconceptions About Violence 101 Stigma Revisited 103 Seven One in Two Million 105 Three Distinguished People Who Have Bipolar Disorder 106 As for Me: My Life Today 108 And as for You: Don’t Give Up! 109
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