Resources
to Keep the Conversation Going
We can become better about understanding and talking about mental health only if we continue to educate ourselves and others about it. The wealth of resources that follows includes books, films, websites, and organizations that work to better our conversations about mental health and mental illness. This list is in no way comprehensive. As is the case with any and every depiction of mental illness, experiences and representations vary. The listed materials strive to present reliable and powerful renderings, but they can never and will never be perfect.
Always remember, too: if you think you need help, find an adult you trust and talk with them. Starting that conversation may be the biggest, hardest step, but it may be the one that changes your life.
Books: Nonfiction
The following titles include reference works, essay collections, and memoirs about various mental health topics.
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff (read with Tweak by Nic Sheff; see page 212)
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5 ) published by the American Psychiatric Association
Elena Vanishing: A Memoir by Elena Dunkle and Clare B. Dunkle
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles edited by Jessica Burkhart
Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher
The Man Who Couldn’t Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought by David Adam
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney
Same Time Next Week: True Stories of Working Through Mental Illness by Lee Gutkind
Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines by Nic Sheff (read with A Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction by David Sheff; see page 211)
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
Willow Weep for Me: A Black Woman’s Journey Through Depression by Meri Nana-Ama Danquah
Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Books: Fiction
Many of the following titles explore multiple aspects of mental health, but the most prominent theme has been noted.
Bruised by Sarah Skilton (PTSD)
Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (schizophrenia)
Don’t Touch by Rachel M. Wilson (OCD)
Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (anxiety)
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone (OCD)
Far from You by Tess Sharpe (addiction)
Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz (addiction)
Lexapros and Cons by Aaron Karo (anxiety)
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork (depression and suicide)
Paperweight by Meg Haston (eating disorders)
Pointe by Brandy Colbert (eating disorders)
Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde (anxiety)
Recovery Road by Blake Nelson (addiction)
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta (depression)
The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner (addiction)
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (trauma disorder)
Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (PTSD)
This Impossible Light by Lily Myers (eating disorders)
This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (depression)
Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton (eating disorders)
Total Constant Order by Crissa-Jean Chappell (OCD)
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (OCD)
A Trick of the Light by Lois Metzger (eating disorders)
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall (agoraphobia)
The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (anxiety)
When Reason Breaks by Cynthia L. Rodriguez (depression)
Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson (eating disorders)
Films
Some of these films are adaptations of books not included in the previous lists.
The Babadook (mental illness as a physical manifestation)
A Beautiful Mind (schizophrenia)
Black Swan (anxiety disorders)
Inside Out (emotions and mental well-being)
It’s Kind of a Funny Story (depression and suicide)
Little Miss Sunshine (depression)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (depression)
Prozac Nation (depression, potentially bipolar disorder)
The Silver Linings Playbook (bipolar disorder)
To the Bone (eating disorders)
Online Resources
Many of these online sites also offer their own support phone numbers or text support services for those seeking immediate help.
American Foundation of Suicide Prevention ( afsp.org )
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance ( dbsalliance.org )
JED Foundation ( jedfoundation.org )
National Alliance on Mental Illness’s OK2Talk program for teens and young adults ( ok2talk.org )
Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America ( sardaa.org )
To Write Love on Her Arms ( twloha.org )
The Trevor Project ( thetrevorproject.org )
Youth M.O.V.E. National ( youthmovenational.org )
Hotlines
United States–based telephone numbers for mental health emergencies:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-800-442-HOPE (4673)
CrisisTextLine.org: Text HOME to 741741