Bipolar General
My Forever War with Mental Illness
Gregg F. Martin, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2023, 288 pages
Book Review published on: May 20, 2025
Bipolar General: My Forever War with Mental Illness is a memoir providing a glimpse into the life of a two-star general diagnosed late in his career with bipolar disorder. The author, Gregg Martin, discusses his motivation and interactions with others that may have had some impact on his career success, challenges, and recovery. This memoir provides insight into how the disorder, loved ones, and the military impacted where he is today. Martin recommends improvement for the prevention and treatment of mental illness in the military. While creation of a vision and innovation are components of leading change, they are only two of three components discussed in the Department of Defense Instruction 1430.16, Growing Civilian Leaders1. Written by a survivor of mental illness with a successful career, this manuscript is helpful for individuals pushing toward the highest positions in their organizations, and for the families that care for them.
Martin sets the stage for his reflections and recommendations in support of mental illness by reviewing significant memorable events in his life. He explores conversations with classmates, supervisors and subordinates. He considers events from his perspective, and statements made by others. His review of events in his military career sets the stage for his recommendations for the military to better recognize, treat, and support mental illness.
Martin starts the book by describing an event that took place near the end of his career in which he was summoned to his supervisor's office. He reflects on the reason, because he was just as likely to be praised as he was to be fired. He elaborates on his confusion by describing that just a couple weeks before that event, both a medical doctor and a psychiatrist confirmed that he was fit for duty.
The first chapters of the book share Martin's reflections on his role as an honor roll student, and how he was praised as "most likely to succeed," "most athletic," enthusiastic, creative, with unusually high levels of energy. He describes two of his sons' diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and his failed attempt to decline brigade command.
Midway through the book, Martin reflects on his deployment to Kuwait in 2003, an event that triggered his illness. He shares details about the VA and Army medical professionals' diagnosis when they identified a genetic predisposition for bipolar disorder that had been triggered by the war and had elevated him to high-performing mania. During this time, he shares that most of the people interviewed loved working for him, and he kept getting promoted despite bouts of serious depression. He proposes that assignments every one or two years masked his disease amid concerns of upper management.
Despite subordinates and general officers beginning to identify him as way over the top with no sense of balance, many supervisors were still impressed with his energy, intellect, and drive to get things done. On occasions when he was not able to achieve needed transformation, Martin shares his belief that he had not been bold or aggressive enough.
The last chapters focus on what Martin was told by a former driver at the beginning of his full-blown mania. He shares details about six- to eight-hour rapid, forced pace conversations that took place both in person and on the phone. He describes heavy drinking, a panic attack, loss of desire to sleep, being called irresponsible, and running around nonstop for hours without a break for water or food. Martin mentions others' concerns over whether he had a weapon on campus and he describes how personnel in his organization must have felt their only recourse was to send anonymous complaints.
He describes a July 2014 diagnosis of "psychiatrically, physically and mentally fit for duty" in three evaluations and how he was advised in May 2015 to wait for a medical evaluation board review after his retirement. He proposes this advice delayed his care and led to his recommendations.
Toward the end of his career, Martin was asked to submit his resignation. The book ends with thoughts he shared with medical professionals during his career, and the VA and Army medical professionals' post-retirement diagnosis of his bipolar disorder, triggered in Iraq, that led to a state of "high-performing mania."
The last chapter advocates for change in the military. Martin encourages soldiers to get treatment early. He holds medical and academic professions as examples of how world-renowned individuals with mental illness can perform well in organizations. It would be interesting to consider how Martin's recommendation differs from the disposition and treatment of physically injured soldiers. However, even Martin acknowledges that his manic episodes played a significant role in his success. Through much of his career he was described as positive, energetic, visionary, inspirational, and Engineer Person of the Year. It was not until the end of his career that he was described as way over the top and intense.
The book describes Martin's military experience. He describes how his career may have benefited in the early years during manic phases and challenges he faced with depression toward the end of his career. Martin envisions changes in the military's approach to treatment of mental illness.
His recommendations have components of vision and innovation. However, tying these to strategic objectives, resource decisions, calculated risk taking, long-term interests of the organization and stakeholders would improve his ability to lead this change.2
The first steps in John Kotter's change model focus on the climate, attitude, prevailing public opinion, and early adopters in an organization.3 Martin's descriptions of his career successes and civilian successes amid mental illness attempt to change the climate toward mental illness treatment and career advancement. He also leans toward changes in the way the Army encourages the comprehensive soldier and family fitness model of the Five Dimensions of Strength.4
Many students at the Army Management Staff College's Intermediate Course who are attempting to make changes that affect their level of the organization believe they have moved past these first steps and are in the phase of engaging and enabling the whole organization. Once the climate for change has been created, and as he moves on to the next steps, Martin or anyone interested in such a change would need to focus on implementation, empowerment, learning, and goal reinforcement.5
Gregg F. Martin retired in 2014 from the U.S. Army as a two-star general. He holds a PhD and Master of Science degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Martin earned his bachelor's degree from West Point, U.S. Military Academy. After retiring from a thirty-six-year career in the Army, Martin reveals, in his only manuscript, that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and wants to reduce the stigma of the condition.
The book Bipolar General is an eye-opening and enlightening review of the career and development of a two-star general. In the last months of his career, Martin was aware of his disorder but was encouraged to keep it quiet. He believes keeping the diagnosis quiet delayed his treatment and made it more difficult to get treatment. In the "Reflections" chapter, he discusses the recommendations for the military to improve recognition, prevention, and treatment of mental illness. This book is insightful for anyone interested in the challenges and pressure of advancement to the highest levels of an organization.
Book Review written by: Kathy Kim Strand, MEd, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas
Notes
- Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction 1430.16, Growing Civilian Leaders (Washington, DC: DOD, 23 August 2022.
- Ibid.
- John P. Kotter, Leading Change (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business Press, 2012).
- Army Regulation 350-53, Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Publishing Office, 19 July 2014).
- Kotter, Leading Change.