Medicine and Madness

This collection of personal essays provides a candid and in depth look at mental illness from the perspective of a bipolar physician.

This book chronicles Dr. Cynthia Clinkingbeard's journey through medicine and into madness and beyond. It is at times heartbreaking, often funny and occasionally exultant. It is written to bring hope to those with mental illness, their families and friends. It is also written to educate those who know nothing about mental illness about how complicated, stigmatizing and devastating a mental health diagnosis can become. Dr. Clinkingbeard graduated from the best universities and Fellowship programs. She taught for three years at her alma mater, Stanford University. Later she practiced Endocrinology in her own very successful private practice. This vocational success did not keep her from derailing her life or ending her medical career. And yet she remains resilient, forging a life of family, meaning and prosperity.