Important reads on depression, anxiety, and mental health
Helpful resources to raise awareness about mental health and improve well-being.
Published on April 26, 2023
Broken (in the best possible way)
Jenny LawsonLawson is the author of the New York Times bestsellers “Furiously Happy” and “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened.” She also struggles with mental health, specifically depression and anxiety. In her newest book, she uses her trademark humor to share her own experiences through the mental health gauntlet, including her aspirations of appearing on the show “Shark Tank.” It’s a non-clinical look at one woman’s journey, and a great read for anyone looking for a little levity and laughter.
Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament
Michael A. SingerAfter 15 years, fans of the beloved New York Times bestseller “The Untethered Soul” can read the eagerly awaited follow up. Singer’s latest self-help book is packed with a mixture of profound musings and practical advice to help readers reach their highest potential. To do so, Singer provides a comprehensive guide to identify and accept the psychological scars that hold us back. An engrossing read narrated by Singer himself.
Holistic Anxiety Management: How to Control Anxious Thoughts and Find Self-Empowerment
Holistic Anxiety Management: How to Control Anxious Thoughts and Find Self-Empowerment
Amanda HugginsAnxiety is one of the most common mental health struggles in the world. Approximately 1 in 3 adults experiences it at some point in their lives. Despite how widespread the condition is, it’s often misunderstood which makes it difficult to treat. Huggins, an embodiment and anxiety coach, provides a thorough audio course to understanding and managing anxious thoughts.
Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief
Joanne CacciatoreGrief, as much as we try to avoid it, is an inevitable part of the human experience — to love is to accept that you will know grief. Despite its universality, societal treatment of grief and its effects leaves something to be desired. Dr. Cacciatore, a leading bereavement educator who has herself suffered an unimaginable loss, offers a tender and compassionate guide to understanding, accepting, and honoring your grief.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
Lori GottliebThis moving memoir takes you inside the minds of both therapists and patients. Gottlieb opens up about her experiences on both sides of the couch in such a personal and revealing way that it’ll resonate with anyone grappling with finding more meaning in their life. (It’ll probably make you realize we all could possibly use a therapist.)
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist
Lori GottliebThis moving memoir takes you inside the minds of both therapists and patients. Gottlieb opens up about her experiences on both sides of the couch in such a personal and revealing way that it’ll resonate with anyone grappling with finding more meaning in their life. (And it’ll make you realize we all could probably use a therapist.)
Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships
Your Consent Is Not Required: The Rise in Psychiatric Detentions, Forced Treatment, and Abusive Guardianships
Rob WipondThe practice of conservatorships has recently come under intense media scrutiny due to the treatment of celebrities like Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes. If abuse can happen to wealthy and well-known figures at the hands of the very same people meant to protect them, what’s happening behind the scenes to normal people — and especially vulnerable populations such as minors, the elderly, and the imprisoned? Psychiatric coercion and forced treatment are at an all-time high and investigative journalist Wipond explores why and how. Is the system broken… or is it working exactly as designed to benefit Big Pharma and for-profit facilities.
Emotional First Aid: Practical Strategies for Treating Failure, Rejection, Guilt, and Other Everyday Psychological Injuries
Emotional First Aid: Practical Strategies for Treating Failure, Rejection, Guilt, and Other Everyday Psychological Injuries
Guy WinchGuilt, loneliness, low self-esteem, and rejection are part of the human experience, So, why do we try so hard to ignore these feelings? It may be easier in the short-term to avoid addressing these negative emotions, however, ignoring them can actually make them worse in the long run. According to Winch, we should treat emotional pain just as seriously as we do physical pain, and he provides the first-aid toolkit to do so.
How To Start Therapy
Life Kit: HealthThinking about talking to someone but not sure where to begin? Check out this episode from NPR’s “Life Kit” podcast for a helpful guide on how to get started with therapy. Judgment-free advice from experts on how to find the right therapist for you makes taking this crucial step less overwhelming.
Therapy for Black Girls
350 podcast episodes
Therapy for Black Girls
350 podcast episodesDr. Harden Bradford creates a compassionate, safe space to discuss mental health issues for Black women and girls in this Webby Award-winning podcast. From advice on how to build your coping kit to primers on mental health disorders like ADHD and PTSD to relationship discussions, this podcast is a fount of helpful resources.
What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
Oprah WinfreyOprah wants you to stop asking people the judgy question “What’s wrong with you?” and instead initiate a supportive conversation with “What happened to you?” In this powerful personal and scientific exploration of the lasting impact of trauma, Oprah joins forces with child trauma expert and neuroscientist Dr. Bruce Perry. Together they explore how a deceptively simple shift in perspective can pave the way for incredible healing.
Beyond Positive Thinking: A No-Nonsense Formula for Getting the Results You Want
Robert AnthonyStaying positive isn’t always easy, and for some, it can be a downright challenge. Anthony lays out a practical and realistic approach to making positivity a habit so readers can combat limiting and harmful mindsets. We can’t necessarily change the world but we can certainly change the way we see it.
The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help You Deserve
The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health: Navigate an Unequal System, Learn Tools for Emotional Wellness, and Get the Help You Deserve
Rheeda WalkerOprah Daily calls this timely guide one of the “best mental health books,” especially since “the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vast inequities in healthcare, with Black communities carrying a disproportionate burden of illness and economic collapse.” With actionable tools to improve emotional well-being while recognizing and treating mental health problems within a system suffering from racial bias, “The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health” is an essential resource.
Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language
Roxane GayTrauma has become a common thread for so many, from the collective trauma of racism, climate change, and a global pandemic to the more personal and private traumas that don’t make the headlines. Gay’s trauma has shaped her life and work, including her 2017 memoir about her own sexual assault, “Hunger.” In “Writing into the Wound,” Gay unpacks the aftermath of “Hunger,” exploring the public reaction that reopened her wounds once more. The result is a skillful guide to sharing, processing, and healing from trauma through writing. “To change the world, we need to face what has become of it,” she writes. “To heal from a trauma, we need to understand the extent of it.”
Anxiety: Panicking about Panic
Joshua FletcherIf society’s rapidly changing responses to the pandemic had you facing fears you normally put off grappling with, now’s the time to read up on the symptoms of anxiety and try to get them under control. After all, panicking — about anything, but especially about your panic — is not helpful. The simple “Anxiety” is a great introduction and guide.
Thank You for Your Service
David FinkelFinkel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (“Good Soldiers”), delves into the private battles soldiers face when they return home from war. Their captivating stories shed light on PTSD and the anguish of adjusting to civilian life, while documenting how the country falls short in treating warriors’ psychological wounds.
Thank You For Your Service
David FinkelFinkel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (“Good Soldiers”), delves into the private battles soldiers face when they return home from war. Their captivating stories shed light on PTSD and the anguish of adjusting to civilian life, while documenting how the country falls short in treating warriors’ psychological wounds.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Allie BroshThis quirky collection of illustrated essays offers a highly relatable glimpse into what it’s like to live with mental health issues. Brosh, “Adventures in Depression” blogger, shares her experiences with humor and insight. Plus, who can resist stories with titles like “The God of Cake” and “The Helper Dog is an A**hole”?
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression
Andrew SolomonThis National Book Award winner takes a sweeping look at severe depression through history, science, and culture — and even the author’s personal experience. From Greenland to Cambodia, and from Virginia Woolf to Shakespeare, Solomon amplifies the voices of those affected by depression in this informative, compassionate, and fascinating book.
Queenie
Candice Carty-WilliamsSometimes fiction can help kickstart conversations about important mental health topics. Smart and funny, this debut novel uses witty charm to fearlessly lay bare the messiness of mental health and family, race and dating, and the struggle to keep it together. A realistic portrayal of living with a mental illness, “Queenie” is a heartening reminder to us all that it’s OK to ask for help.
After Birth: A Novel
Elisa AlbertOne in nine women who give birth experience postpartum depression, according to the CDC, but for many, it remains difficult to talk about. Enter “After Birth.” The novel’s whip smart, sarcastic protagonist has a lot to say about the mental and physical tolls of pregnancy and motherhood. A searingly honest, irreverent, and darkly funny depiction of the postpartum experience that’s sure to spark important conversations.
Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting
Terrie M. WilliamsDepression in the Black community is often further aggravated by racism and prejudice. Despite this, it’s a condition that often goes undiagnosed and manifests itself through crime, substance abuse, eating disorders, and workaholism. Williams encourages those suffering to reach out, get help, and continue the conversation about the importance of mental health. “Black Pain” serves as a vital reminder that nobody should suffer alone.
The Highly Sensitive Person
Elaine AronInstead of telling ourselves to “suck it up” or “stop being so shy,” it’s time we give ourselves permission to be sensitive. Aron helps Highly Sensitive People (HSP) better understand themselves and their place in the world so they can lead more meaningful lives.
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking
Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking
Caroline LeafLeaf combines decades of clinical research plus real-world case studies to back her proven five-step process to clean up your “mental mess” and, in the process, improve your physical health. Learn the difference between your mind and brain, and how you can harness that knowledge to reduce intrusive, chaotic, and negative thoughts. You’re just 21 days away from an entirely new outlook on life, yourself, and those around you.
History Is All You Left Me
Adam SilveraSilvera, beloved YA author, delivers a compassionate portrait of losing a loved one and living with OCD. When Griffin’s first love Theo dies in a drowning accident, the only person who can relate is Theo’s most recent boyfriend, Jackson. Can they help each other let go of history and embrace today?
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Ned VizziniFunny and candid, Vizzini’s YA novel draws on the author’s real-life experiences to tell the story of Craig, a teenager dealing with depression and on the brink of suicide who checks himself into a psychiatric hospital. Vizzini’s entertaining novel about the journey to recovery, understanding, and self-worth was adapted into a movie by the same name in 2010 starring Emma Roberts and Zach Galifianakis.
Hope and Help for Your Nerves
Claire WeekesIf you’re feeling more anxious these days (and who isn’t), Weekes offers simple, calming techniques. The New York Times calls her a “pioneer of modern anxiety treatment.”
This Is Depression: A Comprehensive, Compassionate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Understand Depression
This Is Depression: A Comprehensive, Compassionate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Understand Depression
Diane McIntoshWhether you want to better understand a loved one with depression, or learn more about your own depression, this book is a clear guide to the ways that depression affects your brain and your life, without judgment or stigma. Macintosh offers explanations of various treatments and methods to alleviate depression, including a relatable list of milestones towards recovery.
WellBeing7 min read
Make Happiness A Habit
You know those people who are always joyful, no matter what life throws at them? In the face of adversity, they shine, a challenge becomes an opportunity, a potential heartbreak becomes spiritual growth. So, what is it that makes them feel so happy?
Can being happy become a habit? This article offers ways to reduce stress and anxiety, while making happiness a daily practice. Moving your body, connecting with the natural world, and other doable actions can improve your daily life, now and in the future.
UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone
424 podcast episodes
UnF*ck Your Brain: Feminist Self-Help for Everyone
424 podcast episodesImposter syndrome is real, and it’s a side effect of anxiety — particularly in women. This is a podcast that focuses on powerful women who still doubt their own capabilities and struggle with self-doubt despite professional success. Hosted by Kara Loewentheil, it deals with everything from how to deal with negative feedback to understanding self-worth, and more.
Madness: A Bipolar Life
Marya HornbacherWhen she was diagnosed with the most severe form of bipolar at age 24, Hornbacher’s life — and her substance abuse, self-harm, and eating disorders — finally made sense. Her memoir is a candid account of her fight to survive it all and a courageous look at living with an ever-present danger.
It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand
Megan DevineIn a culture obsessed with happiness and success, how do we process our grief? Drawing on her experience as a therapist, and as someone who tragically lost her partner, Devine gives readers tools to healthily accept, and journey alongside, grief. A profound guide to love and loss to help you support yourself and those around you.