School of Behavioral Science

SCHOOL OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE

Literature Review #1:

MENDING MINDS by Jane Pauley

IN PARTIAL FULLFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE

Mending Minds, gave a clear and thorough description of how a "normal" person, which Jane Pauley claimed to be and lived by, was "Out of the Blue," diagnosed with Manic Depression. She had lived a successful life, before she was diagnosed. She was a Television personality on the Today Show, who kept strong and determined throughout her career. "Jane Pauley has the best mental health in the business"(Maclean, Vol. 120 Issue 9), it was said. "The common perception was that I had my priorities in order and my head screwed on straight" (Maclean, Vol. 120 Issue 9), she herself had said.

Despite the success of her career, two years into her job on the Today Show all had changed. However, with time, a job (like any job) can create a large amount of stress, not only mentally but physically. According to the article, "During Pauley's second year on the Today show, she discovered that her father had been a secret drinker most of his adult life--so much so that his liver was in imminent danger of shutting down. In 1989, in the midst of tensions Pauley slipped into what she later recognized as a depression, though it went undiagnosed at the time" (Maclean, Vol. 120 Issue 9). Not until 2000, eleven years after the incident of her father did the depression hit her body hard. Her body broke out in hives, due to the constant stress in her life. Paula would hit the emergency room and with steroids. From already being depressed, and adding drugs into her system, her body and mind took another turn.

According to the medical world, Manic depression is a treatable illness which is found in about one percent of the population. It often first occurs in the late teens or early '20s. People with manic depression experience periods of depression as described earlier, as well as periods of mania. During an episode of mania, a person may have some or all of the following symptoms: excessive energy, racing flights of ideas, vigorous denial that anything is wrong, pressured speech, grandiose thoughts or inflated self-esteem, overspending, high heart rate and irregular breathing,