Manic Minds by Lisa M Hermsen

Manic Minds by Lisa M Hermsen

From its first depictions in ancient medical literature to contemporary depictions in brain imaging, mania has been largely associated with its Greek roots, "to rage." Prior to the nineteenth century, "mania" was used interchangeably with "madness." Although its meanings shifted over time, the word remained layered with the type of madness first-century writers described: rage, fury, frenzy. Even now, the mental illness we know as bipolar disorder describes conditions of extreme irritability, inflated grandiosity, and excessive impulsivity. Spanning several centuries, Manic Minds traces the multiple ways in which the word "mania" has been used by popular, medical, and academic writers. It reveals why the rhetorical history of the word is key to appreciating descriptions and meanings of the "manic" episode." Lisa M. Hermsen examines the way medical professionals analyzed the manic condition during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and offers the first in-depth analysis of contemporary manic autobiographies: bipolar figures who have written from within the illness itself.

"Bringing together current science studies concepts and the social history of mental illness, Lisa Hermsen provides an innovative approach to mania as a dynamic, rhetorical and material figure" -- Janet Wirth-Cauchon * Women and Borderline Personality Disorder: Symptoms and Stories *
In this wonderfully smart and lively account of mania/bipolar disorder, Lisa Hermsen explores the rhetorical history and multiple realities of a 'mental disorder' haunted by its insistent ties to madness. -- Jackie Orr * Panic Diaries: A Genealogy of Panic Disorder *
"Manic Minds tells a thorough history of mania from a medical and personal perspective. Highly recommended."
* Choice *

LISA M. HERMSEN is an associate professor in the English department at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she teaches courses in the rhetoric of science and the history of madness.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780813551586
ISBN 10	0813551587
Titel	Manic Minds
Autor	Lisa M Hermsen
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Rutgers University Press
Erscheinungsjahr	2011-11-22
Seitenanzahl	172
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
Hinweis	Nicht verfügbar