Mental Illness Reading List

So my Mom sent me this meme via Facebook the other day. I think it’s absolutely perfect and it resonates with me in so many ways that it’s not even funny. One of the things I have learned (quickly) since my mental illness took such a hard hold of me is that there are many people who either don’t understand (i.e. — “It’s like you’re not even trying”) or are so scared of mental illness that they demonize it (i.e. — you must have done something really bad if you are so sick with mental illness.)

There are other variations of misunderstandings where depression, anxiety and PTSD are concerned, of course — but, the net result is this: I’ve been ditched by a lot of friends who don’t understand or want to understand what I’m going through and why I’m not “Party Fun Fun Kate” right now.

While that sucks, I have found that there are people out there who understand PERFECTLY what I am going through. Some of them are real people, some of them are fictional characters.

Yes, I’m talking about books. Why? Because I’m the daughter of a literacy professor, read at age three and I read an average of one book every seven days. It’s my refuge and my social life (to some extent) and is extremely therapeutic in helping me manage my anxiety.

So, with that in mind, here are a few books that I think deal exceptionally well with all varieties of mental illness and will provide support, empathy and, even a few laughs.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson — First of all, Jenny Lawson is one of the absolutely funniest, weirdest writers in the entire universe. I have been reading her blog, The Bloggess, since the days when she was blocked on Twitter by William Shatner (true fact.) Her writing is sublime and never fails to make me laugh. Several years ago, however, Jenny became exceptionally brave and came out about her own mental illness on the blog. Subsequently, she’s authored two books, the latest of which (referenced above) deals specifically with her mental illness. Though in her first book Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, she touches on her mental illness, stemming back to her childhood and also talks about the impact of a traumatic miscarriage. Of all the books I’ve read, Jenny’s books have made me laugh my way through crying — which I am forever in debt to her for. ❤

She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb — This book came out in 1992 and I have reread it pretty much every year since. The main character, Dolores Price’s journey from childhood abandonment by her father, through her own mother’s mental illness that is triggered by the death of a child, to sexual abuse early in her teenage years just hits me right in my core. Equally as powerful, though, is Dolores’s breakdown and 20+ year struggle to find balance and peace in her life. This book, if you have not read it, is phenomenal and Lamb just did the most amazing thing in writing it. If you get the 20th Anniversary copy, there is a lovely forward from the author, himself, which talks in part about the impact that the book has had on his readers who struggle with mental illness. Wally Lamb has another book about mental illness — I Know This Much Is True, which deals with twin brothers, one of whom is schizophrenic. It’s a very intense book and if you are in a sensitive place you may want to read with caution.

Ophelia Speaks by Sara Shandler — This book, a compilation of true stories curated by (then teenager) Sara Shandler, and written by teenage girls across the country was created in response to the book Reviving Ophelia by Dr. Mary Piper. Having read both, I can say that Dr. Piper’s clinical book talks with false expertise and in high falutin’ terms about the problems which plague teenage girls and young adult women. Whereas, Ophelia Speaks is a great book of response which head on addresses (in many formats, detached essay — true confessional story — poetry) the actual problems which these young women face on a daily basis. There is a lot in there about depression, eating disorders, sexual abuse, anxiety, young motherhood, cutting, suicide of friends or family and many other mental illness related problems. I read this when I was 25 and it gave me comfort to know that all those things which had happened to me had also happened to other people. That other people struggled with the problems I struggled with. If you have a teenage woman in your life who struggles with mental illness, this is a good read for them.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini — This book deals with the very real fact that young men can be afflicted with severe mental illness. 14.8 million men suffer from major depression and men account for 7 of 10 suicides (and, there are approximately 117 suicides, nationally, each day.) That said, Vizzini, who himself spent time in a mental institution as a teenager, has created the character of Craig who crashes under the pressure of entry to a very competitive Manhattan high school. He stops eating, sleeping and tries one night to commit suicide. This ends him up in a mental institution (though in the movie — starring Kier Gilchrist, Zack Galifinackis and Emma Roberts — Craig peddles his 10-speed Schwinn through the streets of New York in the pre-dawn hours and checks himself into the hospital BEFORE he tries to kill himself.) This is a great, whimsical book that deals with serious subjects — but, it will leave you feeling better than when you started reading it and will leave you with solid life lessons — mental illness is an ILLNESS and it can get better, but doesn’t go away, and it’s not anything to be ashamed of. The end.

What books that deal with mental health issues help you, make you feel less alone and (occasionally) make you laugh? Please list them in the comments, I’d love to check them out.