Table Of ContentAdvance 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
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With offices in
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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
