Stories chronicling the struggles of young people and their friends, siblings, or parents who suffer from anxiety, depression, obsessivecompulsive disorder ocd, agoraphobia, an eating disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, hypochondria, and other illnesses make for engrossing. A list of teen books curated by mpl librarians revolving around the topics of mental health, grief, death, and loss. She enjoys fiction with welldeveloped characters and a strong hook. And they do not move out of their parents house after high school. May is mental health awareness month and we find that books can not only help us understand or sympathize, but can often help us talk about difficult topics. Ya books about mental illness and mental health book riot.
The perks of being a wallflower by stephen chbosky, eleanor oliphant is completely fine by gail honeyman, made yo. Many staff members across our 100 branches are participating, and recently we asked them what their picks and recommendations are for a book about mental health. Theyre also informative, engaging and rewarding reads. Nine great books about living with mental illness the. Book scheme to help teenagers with mental health issues. In one of my ongoing studies, young men with mental health difficulties often report reading mindfulness books to promote their own mental health, with eckhart tolles the power of now.
Their books give us literally all the feels, and we can relate to their characters even if it might be painful to do so. Get your life on track with the best selfhelp books for women in 2019. Neal shustermans 2015 national book award winning book is. May is mental health awareness month, and as society grows in its understanding of mental illnesses, their effects, and their treatments, were seeing more and more ya narratives that address these topics. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Melvin burgess on childrens and young adult fiction. With explanations of basic humanistic concepts like empathy, communication, and social support, the book is worth the read. The man who mistook his wife for a hat and other clinical tales by oliver sacks. A black womans journey through depression by meri nanaama danquah. Ya books dealing with issues relating to mental health and clinical psychology, first published in 2000 or later.
Mental health experts recommend their favorite depression. But there are also some real gems, and we have faith in ya to keep it real. What are your favourite books about life with a mental illness. A personcentred approach is an easy comprehension that enhances readers understanding of mental health, mental illness, and recovery. Neal shustermans 2015 national book award winning book is an. We received a mix of answers, including childrens books, young adult and adult books. Mental health experts recommend their favorite depression books more if you go to and search for depression, youll be presented with more than 50,700 choices in. You can get to know what its like to live with mental health or learn more about your own. Browse poems about anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, as well as poems about hope, resilience, and survival. Heres a list of my favorite non fiction books on mental illness.
Mental illness in teen books has become more abundant in the last few years, in part because of how discussion of mental illness has grown more mainstream culturally. Jayne hardy is the founder and ceo of mental health charity the blurt foundation and depression, as she writes in an. The best books on teenage mental health five books. She gravitates towards realistic stories and books with magical realism but not necessarily high fantasy or science.
Other fiction and nonfiction books some of them true classics can help fight prejudice against mental illnesses and disorders. Books to help teenagers struggling with stress and anxiety. With so many teens on social media, it is important to look at how the platforms have the ability to cause depression and anxiety or even suicide. Its a mix of memoirs and psychology books, but i kept the list to books that i. If youre looking for a book that covers it all, check out you dont have to learn everything the hard way by laya saul. There are a lot of books out there giving crappy advice about anxiety and depression.
If youre looking for books to help a teen whos struggling or to increase your own understanding of mental health issues, these books can get you started. Can picture books meet the crisis in childrens mental health. If youre not into reading, you may find the comfort and reassurance you need. Books can bring comfort to those suffering from mental illness and increase awareness among family, friends, and peers. Ya involving mental health issues 2000present 360 books. Perfect mexican daughters do not go away to college. Ya mental health resources the hub young adult library.
For childrens books, she is interested in picture books and chapter books as well as middle grade and young adult fiction and nonfiction. It reads just like having a chat with bryony over coffee about her ocd, and is really enjoyable and funny. Here, six mental health professionals pick the best. Written by a teen for teens, this book delves into how social media can affect mental health. Covering topics like sexual abuse, pain, facing obstacles, peer pressure, drugs, and many others, saul provides teens chapters with bitesized inspiration in the form of stories, ideas, quotes, and questions to get them thinking critically. Rae earl discusses five powerful books that explore a range of mental health issues which many young adults and teenagers may face. Ya mental health resources published may 24, 2016 you may be familiar with ya fiction books that deal with mental health issues, but in honor of it being mental health month, im highlighting mostly nonfiction ya resources with a few new or forthcoming fiction titles. Its about so much more than mental illness which is why i love it so much.
Books that feature characters dealing with mental illness. On sunday, in honor of may being national mental health month, i posted my ten favorite fiction books about mental illness. There are many compelling, wellwritten narratives that focus on mental illness or otherwise feature teen characters struggling with and. Books for children and teens who have parents with mental health conditions, including substance abuse an elephant in the living room the childrens book by jill m.
There are books about addiction, eating disorders, depression, schizophrenia, and more, as experienced by the teen main characters. As young adults, these characters were with us through thick and thin, teaching us more about mental health than we may have realized. Children and teenagers with more and more children seeking psychological help, matt haig is one of a. Typpo ages 912 an illustrated story to help children understand and cope with the problem of alcoholism or other drug addiction in the family. Our fave genre portrays mental health in incredible ways. A scheme to support young people with mental health issues by providing free expert books was launched today. We must tell our teenagers that it is not a failure to experience stress, anxiety, or depression, and that its okay, brave even, to. These books traverse all aspects of mental health and mental illness, and theyre both fiction and nonfiction. Do you find that reading helps you improve your mental health, and become more empathetic and selfaware. The academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. Teen books about depression to better understand the illness. This is a fantasy novel that just happens to star characters who struggle with mental health issues, particularly ptsd.