(Author Kay Redfield Jamison)
When I was asked to speak with author and advocate, Kay Jamison about her new book, "Nothing was the Same" I was especially honored and humbled. This is a woman who wrote the highly acclaimed, "An Unquiet Mind" which gave the world a flesh and blood account of what it is like to have Bipolar Disorder. During my most troubled times I would scour the library to search for anything which could provide insight into my own turbulent moods. I was frequently led to Jamison's books. I would read sections of her books while pacing up and down the library aisles, digesting her words for emotional sustenance. Just as Jamison gave a voice to Bipolar Disorder with "An Unquiet Mind," she gives a voice to those who experience the grief of losing a loved one with "Nothing was the Same." Jamison, in what she describes as "the best book she has ever written" shares her story of what it was like to lose her husband and best friend, Richard Wyatt, after spending nearly twenty years together. Jamison wants us to know that this is not an academic or clinical book about grief despite the fact that she is a Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She tells us, "This is a love story."
Anyone who wishes to understand grief from the personal perspective of someone who also battles a mood disorder will find much inspiration from Jamison's story. The topic of grief can be a mystery to many people. I am hoping that the following interview with Kay Jamison will shed some light on the grieving process and how it can be a very different experience than a depressive episode.
Health Central and all the people from My Depression Connection wish to thank you, Doctor Jamison, for agreeing to grant us this interview. I know that your insights will help those who are attempting to understand grief and/or survive it.
Q and A with Kay Redfield Jamison
What was the overriding purpose to writing your book, "Nothing was the Same?" Was it more of a self healing measure or was it a way to educate the reader?
It was not for self healing. Writing the book actually prolonged the process of grief. This was an elegy. It is a way to keep the memory of my husband alive. I wanted to also explore the differences between grief and depression.
What are those differences between grief and depression? You say in your prologue that there is a "sanity to grief." Can you elaborate?
Grief is the normal human response to the loss of emotional involvement. This is part of the human condition. These ancient emotions are described in literature over the ages. Grief is a healthy process. I am in awe of the power of grief to redefine your loss and the relationship with the person you lost.
One of the differences between depression and grief is time does help with grief. Depression is unrelenting.
