13 Books Perfect For Mental Health Awareness Month.
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

13 Books Perfect For Mental Health Awareness Month.

It's not just Young Adult this time!

3076
13 Books Perfect For Mental Health Awareness Month.
Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels

Odyssey recognizes that mental well-being is a huge component of physical wellness. Our mission this month is to bring about awareness & normality to conversations around mental health from our community. Let's recognize the common symptoms and encourage the help needed without judgement or prejudice. Life's a tough journey, we are here for you and want to hear from you.

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! A great way to learn more about the multitude of mental illnesses that plague those around us is to read about them, especially if the author is basing their story off their own experiences. The Young Adult genre has a book for every psychological disorder you can think of, so make sure to look for more beyond the ones I suggest. A few of these aren't even Young Adult, so there's plenty of choices in the middle grade and adult sections too. Obviously, since we are talking about mental health, I tried to include trigger warnings for each novel, but I might have missed something, so make sure to look up each book before reading. Happy reading!

1. "Optimists Die First" by Susin Nielsen (TW: Anxiety-Related Disorders)

Why you should read: The main character of this story grieved the lost of her baby sister by having a pessimistic outlook on life and developing a lot of irrational fears. Through the course of the story, we see her grow and change along with the other kids she encounters at the art therapy sessions she attends.

Check it out here!

2. "Dear Evan Hansen" by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul (TW: Social Anxiety, Suicide)

Why you should read: A boy with social anxiety is roped into a situation of miscommunication and feels trapped to do anything about it, so he carries on the lie and pretends to be the best friend of a boy in his grade who killed himself.

Check it out here!

3. "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven (TW: Bipolar Disorder, Suicide)

Why you should read: Two teens meet and fall in love while one is dealing with the loss of her sister and the other is dealing with the effects of Bipolar Disorder.

Check it out here!

4. "Keep My Heart in San Francisco" by Amelia Diane Coombs (TW: Bipolar Disorder, Suicide)

Why you should read: A girl fights to keep her family's bowling alley open along with an old friend by illegally betting on bowling games and copes with the beginning stages of Bipolar Disorder- the same psychological disorder that led to her mother's death.

Check it out here!

5. "Let's Call It a Doomsday" by Katie Henry (TW: Anxiety-Related Disorders, Schizophrenia)

Why you should read: In this novel, a girl takes note of all the different ways the world could end and befriends a girl who says she knows when it's going to happen.

Check it out here!

6. "Just Our Luck" by Julia Walton (TW: Generalized Anxiety Disorder)

Why you should read: Two Greek-American teens overcome their family's century-old-fighting and grow closer as they work together on a revenge project.

Check it out here!

7. "The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B" by Teresa Toten (TW: OCD, Cutting, Hypochondria, Eating Disorders, Hoarding Disorder, Anxiety-Related Disorders)

Why you should read: Our main character meets a new girl in his teen OCD support group and also develops a kinship with the other people in there.

Check it out here!

8. "Highly Illogical Behavior" by John Corey Whaley (TW: Agoraphobia, Panic Attacks)

Why you should read: This powerful novel gives us a wonderful example of what it's like for a teenager to live with agoraphobia and then a humorous twist when one of his old peers takes it upon herself to try to fix him.

Check it out here!

9. "The Library of Broken Things" by Laura Taylor Namey (TW: Hoarding Disorder)

Why you should read: A teenage girl comes of age and develops feelings for a boy while watching her mom struggle with her hoarding disorder every day.

Check it out here!

10. "Guts" by Raina Telegemeier (TW: Anxiety-Related Disorders)

Why you should read: There's no shame in reading a kids graphic novel, especially one that is so easy to relate to. This novel touches on the author's real experience with stomach issues and anxiety- something that was so refreshing to see for myself. And yes, I obviously own a copy of it.

Check it out here!

11. "Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression" by Teresa Wong (TW: Postpartum Depression, Suicidal Thoughts)

Why you should read: This graphic novel memoir shines a light on an issue that many people go through after childbirth and shouldn't be ashamed of, including the author herself.

Check it out here!

12. "This Impossible Light" by Lily Meyers (TW: Eating Disorders, Purging, Bingeing, Body Dysmorphia, Depression)

Why you should read: With the form of a novel-in-verse, this powerful story chronicles the main character's development of an eating disorder, and we really get a strong look at her inner thoughts and emotions.

Check it out here!

13. "RX: A Graphic Memoir" by Rachel Lindsay (TW: Bipolar Disorder, Suicidal Thoughts)

Why you should read: Reading about someone's personal experiences can be so powerful and helpful in our own struggles. Rachel Lindsay takes us on a journey as she shows us how she dealt with her bipolar disorder while entering into the real world after college.

Check it out here!


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

An Open Letter To My Grandpa In Heaven

If Heaven wasn't so far away, I'd be there every day.

15413
Nikki Wright

Dear Grandpa,

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

That Feeling of Opening Day

What it means and What Happened

1371
That Feeling of Opening Day

Baseball's Opening Day has inspired countless writers, fans, and players throughout the years. Some notable quotes we remember about this special day are:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

To The 'Best Friend' I Decided I Couldn't Be Friends With Anymore

Most of all, thank you for being the person who finally pushed me to choose myself.

97685
The CW / YouTube

Dear Old Friend,

Keep Reading... Show less
Lifestyle

7 Tips For Traveling

Don't miss any of these ideas to make your trip complete!

3330
7 Tips For Traveling

Whether it's a day trip, an out-of-state journey, or an experience leaving the country, here are some tried and true traveling tips.

Before any trip, we all think about what to pack and what to bring. We may have a strict itinerary, or we may have looser guidelines for what to do when. But we should also consider the following - make them goals:

Keep Reading... Show less
Featured

Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

As an aspiring author, Hunter knew writing for Odyssey would be a great fit for her.

2893
Writer of the Month: Hunter Johnstone

Response writers are what make the world go round at Odyssey! Using our response button feature, they carry on our mission of sparking positive, productive conversations in a polarized world.

Keep Reading... Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments