Given below are a few books and memoirs we found that talk about Mental Health and the various aspects of it. They have been reviewed by us and we have tried to avoid darker themes and rather focused on anxiety and depression. 

 

Monochrome Days: A First-Hand Account of One Teenager’s Experience With Depression

 

Author:  Cait Irwin, Dwight L. Evans, Linda Wasmer Andrews

 

Pages: 160

 

This is a book that deals with questions about symptoms, medications and treatments and how to deal with depression at home as well as school. As this book is written by a teenager, it gives us an insight into their minds, making it relatable to the audience. 

 

Tags: Depression, High School, Teenager, Easy-to-read

 

Available on Amazon

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On the Edge: A Journey Through Anxiety

 

Author: Andrea Peterson

 

Pages: 300

 

The author diagnosed with anxiety at the age of 20 years, soon finds out that she also has been experiencing panic attacks since childhood. It is a well-researched book about the author’s personal journey. 

 

Tags: Anxiety, Medication, Biology

 

Available on Amazon

 

 

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things

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Author: Jenny Lawson

 

Pages: 329

 

This is a humorous tale filled with tragedy. The author talks about her personal experience with severe depression and how she went on with her daily life. 

 

Tags: Humour, Depression

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Available on Amazon

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The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression

 

Author: Andrew Solomon

 

Pages: 576

 

This is a memoir written by the author which explores the social, cultural, and scientific aspect of depression. The book has been written after conducting interviews with professionals in the field of depression. 

 

Tags: Memoir, Depression, Scientific

 

Available on Amazon

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Just checking: Scenes from the life of an Obsessive-Compulsive

 

Author: Emily Colas 

 

Pages: 165

 

This book deals with the author’s personal experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The book has been divided into four parts and is written in a journal format. The book includes her experience from her own childhood up to her role as a mother. 

 

Tags: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Autobiographical 

 

Available on Amazon

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What you must think of me: A First-hand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder​

 

Author: Emily Ford

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Pages: 152

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This is a story of the author’s fears, struggles and her triumph over her Social Anxiety. Filled with frank and witty accounts of the author’s life and how she managed to overcome her obstacles. This is a compelling read which is much more than just a memoir. 

 

Tags: Social Anxiety Disorder, Memoir, Witty

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Available on Amazon

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Out of the Dark

 

Author: Linda Caine 

 

Pages: 448

 

The author takes a journey along with her psychiatrist to understand what lies at the heart of depression. On the journey, she untangles from her African adolescence and the secrets that have been buried. It talks about mental breakdowns and how important it is to accept your past. 

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Tags: Depression, Self-discovery, African

 

Available on Amazon

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Hyperbole and Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

 

Author: Allie Brosh

 

Pages: 371

 

The book won the GoodReads Choice 2013 Awards. Receiving many positive reviews, a blog written by a 20-year-old American where she tells funny stories about her day to day experiences, accompanied by paintings and drawings.  

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Tags: Witty, Humorous, Day-to-Day life, Illustrated

 

Available on Amazon

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An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

 

Author: Kay Redfield Jamison

 

Pages: 223

 

This is a memoir about manic depression, the onset for which was during her teenagers years and her fight to overcome with the available treatments

 

Tags: Memoir, Depression, Treatments

 

Available on Amazon

 

 

The Last time I Wore a Dress

 

Author: Daphne Scholinski, Jane Meredith Adams

 

Pages: 224

 

Daphne Scholinski, at the age of fifteen years, was admitted to a mental institution with “Gender Identity Disorder”. This is her story, which explores gender in a funny and witty manner. 

 

Tags: Gender- Identity, Teenager, Funny

 

Available on Amazon

 

 

The Tethered Unicorn (Living Dreams #1)

 

Author: Tarian Green

 

Pages: 216

 

This is a true story of a girl who runs away from her urban house. She experiments with drugs, leading to an addiction which makes her steal. This is a book that can be read as a stand-alone. 

 

Tags: Drugs, True story, Addiction

 

Available as an Ebook

 

 

Just Another Number

 

Author: Maggie Georgiana Young 

 

Pages: 366

 

This is a book where the author talks about the men she had sex with. In a society, where a women’s validation of herself comes from the men around her, the author challenges this narrow-minded society. 

 

Tags: Sex, Society, Memoir

 

Available on Amazon 

 

 

Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light: A Memoir of Cutting, Healing, and Hope

 

Author: Vanessa Vega

 

Pages: 220

 

This is a disturbing yet inspiring memoir about the darkness of depression. The author will do anything to get rid of her depression, but when nothing works she resorts to cutting herself. It follows the author’s journey to build her emotional stability and piece her life back together. 

 

Tags: Cutting, Teenager, Inspiring 

 

Available on Amazon

 

 

Why Be Happy When You Could be Normal?

 

Author: Jeanette Winterson

 

Pages: 230

 

This is a memoir about the author’s search for happiness in her life. She is a well-established figure in Literature. This is a book full of stories. 

 

Tags: Memoir, Depression

 

Available on Amazon

 

 

​My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness

 

Author: Kabi Nagata, Jocelyne Allen (Translator)

 

Pages: 143 

 

This is a story about a young woman’s exploration of her sexuality, mental well-being and navigating the modern world. This is an autobiographical manga which has received many positive reviews. 

 

Tags: Sexuality, Manga, Mental Health

 

Available on Amazon