Ann Jeffers

• Jeffers has said that periods of unexplained depression began when she was about eight to ten years old. Around age 13, she began experiencing hallucinations. Through college and graduate school, she experienced recurring changes in mood without knowing that she had bipolar disorder. [2]
• Her symptoms became much more severe in 2013, while she was an assistant professor. She began experiencing more serious psychosis and sought treatment. Jeffers has identified her diagnosis as bipolar I disorder, and the University of Michigan describes it as bipolar disorder with psychotic features. [2][3]
• After receiving tenure, she eventually began speaking publicly about her experience. [2]

• Jeffers has described recurring periods of depression and mania. During depression, she could spend long periods in bed. During some elevated periods, she had unusually high energy and could become intensely productive. [2]
• She has also experienced psychosis, including hallucinations and paranoia. One recurring hallucination involved hearing music that was not actually playing, which later inspired the title of her memoir, Can You Hear the Music? [2]
• Her illness became particularly severe in 2013 and affected her research and ability to function. She has described needing several years before she felt fully functional again. [1]

• Jeffers began therapy and medication when her illness became severe in 2013. She has said that it took about a year to stabilize and several years before she felt fully functional again. [1]
• She has described attending therapy weekly and taking a mood stabilizer, an antidepressant and an antipsychotic. She has said that she tried six to eight antipsychotic medications before finding one that controlled the psychosis. [1]
• She also emphasizes protecting her sleep and taking care of her mental health. [2]

• Jeffers has described herself in recent years as stable. She has said that she is productive at work and at home and is generally happy. [1]
• Her illness disrupted her earlier research program, but as her health improved she rebuilt her research career and shifted much of her work toward wildfire exposure and fire safety. [1]
• She has continued teaching and conducting engineering research at the University of Michigan. [4]

• Jeffers published the memoir Can You Hear the Music? My Journey Through Madness to give a detailed account of bipolar disorder and psychosis. She has said that when she was ill, she had difficulty finding accounts that resembled her own experience. [1]
• She now speaks publicly about mental illness, particularly within engineering and academia, and advocates for mental health and disability justice. [3]

“There is no shame in having mental illness.”

— Ann Jeffers [1]