8 Books to Help Navigate Mental Health This Month
September is Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, which means it’s the perfect time to focus on your mental health. I’ve compiled a list of eight books, four fiction and four nonfiction, that share stories about mental illness and coping.
FICTION
Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern
| content warnings: mental health, mentions of suicide |
Depressed teen Anna Bloom is caught completely by surprise when her family sends her to a mental health facility completely unprovoked. Through the course of the book, she makes friends with other teens and learns to cope with her mental health.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
| content warnings: mentions of suicide, alcohol abuse |
Two teens with troubled pasts, Finch and Violet, share a harrowing experience in which they both try to take their own lives on their high school’s bell tower — but neither of them goes through with it, instead depending on each other to be talked down. When Finch chooses Violet for their “Wander Indiana” project, the two embark on a journey around the state, growing closer as their friendship turns into love.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
| content warnings: sexual assault, self-harm, toxic parental relationship |
Melinda Sordino was thirteen when a horrible event took place at a party the summer before her freshman year. Isolated after her friends disowned her, berated by her parents for her failure in school, and ignored by her teachers, Melinda feels trapped in her own mind. Told through the four “marking periods” of the school year, Melinda navigates her mental state and vicious peers and parents, unable to truly speak about what really happened that night.
72 Hour Hold by Bebe Moore Campbell
| content warnings: bipolar disorder |
Single mother Keri Whitmore lives in Los Angeles with her daughter, Trina. At 17, Trina is given a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and Keri searches desperately to find adequate help for her daughter’s worsening mental state. After being placed under a 72 hour hold and facing the frustrations of a severely flawed mental health system, Keri turns to more drastic measures to seek help for her daughter. Along the way, she must confront her own past and find healing within herself.
NON-FICTION
The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks
| content warnings: schizophrenia, psychosis |
Professor and dean at USC Law School, Elyn Saks shares her journey and experiences living with schizophrenia. She describes managing her psychosis against the life in the world and the achievements she earned throughout. She explains her struggles and how she overcomes them, fighting to maintain control throughout relapses and reality.
Neuro, Typical: Chemical Reactions and Trauma Bonds by Katie Darby Mullins
| note: this is one of my professors and I highly recommend her work |
Katie Darby Mullins is a creative writing professor at the University of Evansville. She uses poetry to walk the reader through her recovery process after suffering a brain stem stroke. The book is disoriented and fragmented, much like her thoughts and memories, and not only focuses on her mental struggles, but her spiritual and physical struggles as well.
Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat by Stephanie Covington Armstrong
| content warning: eating disorders, depression, anxiety |
Stephanie Covington Armstrong tells her story about living with an eating disorder, namely bulimia. She explains how she struggles with this disorder that is commonly described as a white woman’s problem, and her journey through the self-hatred and insecurities she deals with. Even seeking treatment causes her to doubt herself, as her race makes her an outlier in an all-white program for recovery. This autobiography sheds light on why women of color often avoid seeking treatment for mental health issues.
This Time You Save Yourself by Zara Bas
This collection of poetry and essays speaks to the reader about recovering from trauma and regaining lost power. The book is filled with reassurance and reminders of the reader’s inner strength, guiding them on a journey to gain trust and love for themselves.
Remember to take care of yourself and take the time to understand your emotions and mental state. Seek help if needed, do research if necessary, be kind to yourself, and remember that the hardships we face are only temporary.
Tiva Frushour is a senior student at the University of Evansville in the Communications program. She enjoys writing and providing a voice for communities and small businesses.