Kayla Elease

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#MHAM Book List

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