Books Addressing Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time set aside to spread the word about the importance of mental health. Below are some books that deal with different aspects of that subject, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. William Nicholson once said, "We read to know we are not alone." For those of you who struggle with mental health, you're not alone. Keep reading for some book recommendations that prove it.

FINDING AUDREY BY SOPHIE KINSELLA: "Fourteen-year-old Audrey is making slow but steady progress dealing with her anxiety disorder when Linus comes into the picture and her recovery gains momentum."

DR. BIRD'S ADVICE FOR SAD POETS BY EVAN ROSKOS: "A sixteen-year-old boy wrestling with depression and anxiety tries to cope by writing poems, reciting Walt Whitman, hugging trees, and figuring out why his sister has been kicked out of the house."

THE NATURE OF JADE BY DEB CALETTI: "Seattle high school senior Jade's life is defined by her anxiety disorder and dysfunctional family, until she spies a mysterious boy with a baby who seems to share her fascination with the elephants at a nearby zoo."

FIG BY SARAH ELIZABETH SCHANTZ: "In 1994, Fig looks back on her life and relates her experiences, from age six to nineteen, as she desperately tries to save her mother from schizophrenia while her own mental health and relationships deteriorate."

SCHIZO BY NIC SHEFF: "A teenager recovering from a schizophrenic breakdown is driven to the point of obsession to find his missing younger brother and becomes wrapped up in a romance that may or may not be the real thing."

MILES FROM ORDINARY BY CAROL LYNCH WILLIAMS: "Thirteen-year-old Lacey must face the reality of what life with her mother means for both of them as her mother's mental illness spins terrifyingly out of control."

HOW I MADE IT TO EIGHTEEN: A MOSTLY TRUE STORY BY TRACY WHITE: "The author shares her struggles with self-esteem, drug addiction, and depression; and describes how she admitted herself to a mental institution after she put her fist through a window. Presented in graphic novel format."

THE IMPOSSIBLE KNIFE OF MEMORY BY LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON: "Hayley Kincaid and her father move back to their hometown to try a 'normal' life, but the horrors he saw in the war threaten to destroy their lives."

LINCOLN'S MELANCHOLY: HOW DEPRESSION CHALLENGED A PRESIDENT AND FUELED HIS GREATNESS BY JOSHUA WOLF SHENK: "A dramatic reassessment of the life and era of Abraham Lincoln argues that America's sixteenth president suffered from depression and explains how Lincoln used the ailment and the coping strategies he had developed to deal with the crises of the Civil War and personal tragedy."

REASONS TO STAY ALIVE BY MATT HAIG: "In a moving and entirely relatable account, an internationally best-selling author shares his struggle with depression and, helping those who are confused or daunted by the illness, reveals how he was able to triumph over the disease on order to live again."