“I have found it to be seductively complicated, a distillation both of what is finest in our nature, and of what is most dangerous” (Jamison, 1995, p.5). In “An Unquiet Mind”, Kay Redfield Jameson takes the readers through her experience dealing with manic-depression. Kay was happy and well rounded during her childhood. She developed interest for poetry, school plays, science, and medicine, and was strongly encouraged by her parents. She was surrounded with good friends, a close-knit family, and great quantities of laughter. Kay’s sister, who was 13 months older, described her as “the fair haired one” in the family, whom friends and schoolwork came too easily. Due to her father’s involvement in the Air Force as an officer, Kay attended elementary school near the Andrews Air Force Base, outside Washington. Tradition and high expectations came along with being part of a “military family”. “Expectations were clear, and excuses were few; it was a society that genuinely believed in fair play, honor, physical courage, and willingness to die for one’s country”(Jamison, 1995, p.28). Kay felt an elevated level of security while living within the walled-off military world. However, this was shaken due to the emotional distress that resulted from witnessing a traumatic plane crash during Kay’s second year of elementary school. In the middle of recess, along with the rest of her second-grade class, Kay stood paralyzed from fear as a plane fell from the sky, just missing the playground and exploding right in front of the children’s eyes. During the days following the crash, it became known that the pilot had sacrificed his life in order to steer the plane as far away from the playground as possible. If he had not done so, he would have risked... ... middle of paper ... ... positive effect on her road to recovery. Their knowledge on the subject was helpful in recognizing her illness and encouraging her to take lithium. However, she struggled with taking lithium on a consistent basis. She recurrently made the mistake of discontinuing use once her mood was normal, only to find herself slipping back into depression. Whenever taking lithium, Kay would become frustrated due to side effects that impaired her senses and mainly her ability to read. At age 32, in response to the unexpected death of her lover, the struggle with lithium ceased and she was given incentive to take it regularly. This was the main tipping point from illness to health, and Kay was gradually able to experience happiness again. She had a mission to keep herself healthy, and a determination to improve the treatment and care for others affected by this dreadful disorder.
The heart wrenching tale of Jason Poole is an evident picture of the lost potentials of all the heavily injured veterans who came back to an entirely different “home”. Grady shows us that life as a veteran, who has put their life on the line to protect their country, after coming home is like having to start from scratch. “‘Jason was definitely a ladies’ man’, said Zillah Hodgkins, who had been a friend for nine years.” (5, Grady) Grady utilizes this quote by previously showing us the current state of
Although Susanna Kaysen’s rebellious and self-harming actions of coping with her psychosis are viewed by some critics as pushing the boundary of sanity, many people have a form of a “borderline personality” that they must accept and individually work towards understanding in order to release themselves from the confines of their disorder. Kaysen commits to a journey of self-discovery, which ultimately allows her to accept and understand herself and her psychosis.
Throughout the novel, I was able to gain a new underlying sense of schizophrenia from Pamela’s perspectives. From attaining symptoms in childhood events, to reading extreme active
In the aftermath of a comparatively minor misfortune, all parties concerned seem to be eager to direct the blame to someone or something else. It seems so easy to pin down one specific mistake that caused everything else to go wrong in an everyday situation. However, war is a vastly different story. War is ambiguous, an enormous and intangible event, and it cannot simply be blamed for the resulting deaths for which it is indirectly responsible. Tim O’Brien’s story, “In the Field,” illustrates whom the soldiers turn to with the massive burden of responsibility for a tragedy. The horrible circumstances of war transform all involved and tinge them with an absurd feeling of personal responsibility as they struggle to cope.
...volving death and separation. Children within the United States whose parents serve in the military are left to deal with issues of separation and fear. The fear of not knowing when their parents are coming home, and if they’ll come back the same person they were when they left. Since we are incapable of hiding violence and the act of war from children, it is better to help them understand the meaning behind it and teach them that violence is not always the answer. Children react based on what they see and hear, and if the community and world around them portrays positive things, then the child will portray a positive attitude as well.
I have chosen to write about Virginia Woolf, a British novelist who wrote A Room of One’s Own, To the Lighthouse and Orlando, to name a few of her pieces of work. Virginia Woolf was my first introduction to feminist type books. I chose Woolf because she is a fantastic writer and one of my favorites as well. Her unique style of writing, which came to be known as stream-of-consciousness, was influenced by the symptoms she experienced through her bipolar disorder. Many people have heard the word "bipolar," but do not realize its full implications. People who know someone with this disorder might understand their irregular behavior as a character flaw, not realizing that people with bipolar mental illness do not have control over their moods. Virginia Woolf’s illness was not understood in her lifetime. She committed suicide in 1941.
The Bell Smith Personality Assessment was accurate in reflecting my personality. I have taken several personality tests because I know developing strong interpersonal skills enhances personal growth and development. Each test has delivered similar results demonstrating my willingness to work with others, need for organization, focus on emotional content, and search for additional information. According to the Bell Smith assessment, I fall into the categories of member, planner, juggler, empathizer, and researcher. I would challenge the assessment with defining me a planner because I incorporate the juggler traits into my daily activities. Overall, the assessment was not surprising and I would like to continue taking different personality tests to see diverges from previous results.
Lawrence Hill Books, c2009 Bracken, Patrick and Celia Petty (editors). Rethinking the Trauma of War. New York, NY: Save the Children Fund, Free Association Books, Ltd, 1998.
Through some research and pursuing to find answers Elizabeth was finally diagnosed with a bi-polar disorder, which ran in her family. Elizabeth’s mom and grandmother were also diagnosed with a bi-polar disorder. As her parents we were sad to hear the news because our little girl was suffering and misunderstood for so long. Thus, we made it our mission to help her in every way possible. Even though, the thought of medicating our child was frightful we decided to see Elizabeth's reaction to taking lithium. Elizabeth responded will to the medication and it made a difference in her daily life. We started going to a parent information center and we found the courage to fight for Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s social life was still deteriorating and we were constantly at the school asking for helpful resources to be provided. We were practically at the school everyday fighting and wanting assistance, our struggle continued for three years. Elizabeth at the age of fifteen was still being denied resources such as a counselor because the school did not see her deteriorating behavior as an
Ignorance is a characteristic that has befallen many great political leaders. With this characteristic many leaders have lost their power, through a disaster or simply not enough people voted for him/her. Although many key characters in Julius Caesar are in their own way all sensible, a majority of them do not consider their peer’s opinion, displaying ignorance which creates their own demise caused by their own ignorance.
Redfield Jamison explores the compelling connection between mental disorders and artistic creativity. Artists have long been considered different from the general population, and one often hears tales of authors, painters, and composers who both struggle with and are inspired by their "madness". Jamison's text explores these stereotypes in a medical context, attributing some artists' irrational behaviors to mental disorders, particularly manic-depressive illness. In order to establish this link, Jamison presents an impressive collection of artists who have suffered from mental illness, whether diagnosed correctly during their lifetime or discovered in hindsight. Well organized and interesting, Jamison provides an ideal introduction to this still
Andy grew up as a military child and he assures, “Being in a military family I can appreciate the veterans and their families more.” (Moore) Military children recognize the importance of sacrificial service that their parent committed. This ensures parents that raising a child in the military can help develop an appreciative, respectful, and prideful child by experiencing and interacting within the military lifestyle. The military provides a strong structure or values and traits that promote a healthy development of characteristics for
She continues in this sequel to talk about the abuse she faced and the dysfunction that surrounded her life as a child and as a teen, and the ‘empty space’ in which she lived in as a result. She talks about the multiple personalities she was exhibiting, the rebellious “Willie” and the kind “Carol”; as well as hearing noises and her sensory problems. In this book, the author puts more emphasis on the “consciousness” and “awareness” and how important that was for her therapeutic process. She could not just be on “auto-pilot” and act normal; the road to recovery was filled with self-awareness and the need to process all the pieces of the puzzle—often with the guidance and assistance of her therapist. She had a need to analyze the abstract concept of emotions as well as feelings and thoughts. Connecting with others who go through what she did was also integral to her
Love poems were commonly exchanged between men and women during the Heian period. At that time, love poems are considered to be one of the most common ways of courting beautiful women and handsome men. Authors would tend to prove themselves worthy of their “targets”. Getting impressed by poems written by the author would almost equal to falling in love with the author. Various literary devices are cleverly applied such as visual imagery and pivot words in love poems, namely poems 645, 646, 747, and 784 in the Kokinwashu and poems found in section 1 in the Tales of Ise. This essay will highlight common features of Heian love poetry, based on a comparative analysis of poems from the Kokinwakashu and the Tales of Ise.