Is psychotherapy for bipolar disorder effective? What role did it play in Kay Jamison’s recovery?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her memoir An Unquiet Mind<\/em>, Dr. Kay Jamison shares her experience with bipolar disorder and recounts how psychotherapy helped her manage her symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read about Dr. Kay Jamison’s experience with psychotherapy for bipolar disorder management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n After experiencing a hallucination during her a manic episode, Jamison decided to seek psychiatric help. Her therapist was the chief resident of UCLA\u2019s Neuropsychiatric Institute where she interned. He\u2019d supervised her work with patients and served as a rock of compassion and professionalism. He believed in medication to treat the symptoms of mental illness, but he also saw the value of psychotherapy for bipolar disorder management. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Her first appointment was a terrifying experience. She was embarrassed and vulnerable, having lost complete faith in herself and her mind. But when she entered the room, the doctor spoke to her with such reassurance that a crack of light appeared in the darkness. He was patient as she rambled incessantly about her condition. When she finished, he asked her a slew of questions about her behavior and symptoms. She knew these questions well, having asked them to patients hundreds of times during her education and professional work. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHealing Begins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n