Some of the most common barriers to mental health treatment include cost, time/scheduling issues, and stigma. If you’re looking to learn more about mental health, help yourself, or help a loved one, one of the best ways to do that is by reading books. So as a mental health professional, I’ve compiled a list of books to be used a resources for those who struggle with mental illness and those who want to help a loved one who struggles with mental illness.

For adults who want to learn more/support a loved one:

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

• Defying Mental Illness: Finding Recovery with Community Resources and Family Support by Paul Komarek

• I Am Not Sick I Don't Need Help: How to Help Someone with Mental Illness by Xavier Amador, Ph.D.

• The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know by Dr. David J. Miklowitz

• Changing Minds: The go-to Guide to Mental Health for You, Family and Friends by Dr. Mark Cross and Dr. Catherine Hanrahan

• Wide Awake and Dreaming: A Memoir of Narcolepsy by Julie Flygare

• Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

• How to Disappear Completely: On Modern Anorexia by Kelsey Osgood

• The Gift of Fear by David DeBecker

• Unintended Impact: One Athlete's Journey from Concussions in Amateur Football to CTE Dementia by Jim Proebstle

• Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig

• The Color of My Mind: Mental Health Narratives from People of Color Edited by Dior Vargas

For the loved one in need of support (adults):

• The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn Saks

• Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway: How to Turn Your Fear and Indecision into Confidence and Action by Susan Jeffers

• Mental Health Moments: Combining Journaling, Coloring and Reading by Danni Andrew

• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

• Let Me Not Be Mad by A. K. Benjamin

• The Edge of Every Day by Marin Sardy

• Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life by Yiyun Li

• My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel

For children who want to learn more/support a loved one:

• Why is Dad So Mad? by Seth Kastle

• My Strong Mind: A story about developing mental strength – Niels van Hove

• Don’t Feed the WorryBug by Andi Green

• The Fix-It Friends: Have No Fear! by Nicole C. Kear

• How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear? By Jayneen Sanders

• Can I Catch It Like a Cold? Coping With a Parent’s Depression by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek

• My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

• Lola’s Words Disappeared by Elaheh Bos

• A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes

For the loved one in need of support (children):

• Helping Your Anxious Child: A Step-by-Step Guide for Parents by Ronald Rapee Ph.D., et al.

• My Strong Mind: A story about developing mental strength – Niels van Hove

• I Said No! A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Private by Zach and Kimberly King

• Cory Stories: A Kid’s Book About Living With ADHD by Jeanne Kraus

• Don’t Feed the WorryBug by Andi Green

• The Fix-It Friends: Have No Fear! by Nicole C. Kear

• How Big Are Your Worries Little Bear? By Jayneen Sanders

• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek

• My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

• Somebody Cares: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Neglect by Susan Farber Straus, PhD

• A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes

For the loved one in need of support (teens):

• Depression: A Teen’s Guide to Thrive and Survive – Jacqueline B. Toner, Claire A. B. Freeland

• The Sexual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls: A Guide to Recovery from Sexual Assault and Abuse – Raychelle Cassada Lohmann

• It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

• My Family Divided: One Girl’s Journey of Home, Loss, and Hope by Diane Guerrero

• Finding Perfect by Elly Swartz

• OCDaniel by Wesley King

• The Astonishing Color of After by Emily XR Pan

• Don’t Call Me Crazy Edited by Kelly Jensen

• Elena Vanishing: A Memoir by Elena Dunkle and Clare B. Dunkle

• Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

• History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera