Her reaction on being told not to have kids, Kay Jamison

Interviewee: Kay Jamison. Kay Jamison describes the shock of hearing her own diagnosis of manic depression and her doctor's advice not to have children. (DNAi Location: Chronicle > Living with eugenics > The diagnosis > A blow to the heart)

It was like a level, 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.

genetic counselor,manic depression,dnai,body blow,good mother,interviewee,kay,genes,inheritance,diagnosis,shock,fear,heart

  • ID: 15378
  • Source: DNALC.DNAi

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