Reacting to a Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

Kay Jamison describes the shock of hearing her own diagnosis of manic depression (bipolar disorder) and her doctor's advice not to have children.

It was like a body blow and a heart blow that is just difficult to describe. It was enraging and it was hurtful, and it was completely unasked for. I didn't ask him for, I didn't solicit advice from him, he was not a genetic counselor. It actually had not occurred to me not to have children because of passing on the genes, it had occurred to me not to have children because I thought at that time, well perhaps I won't be stable enough to be a good mother, but not because I'd be passing on the genes. I hadn't thought that way and I don't think that way.