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Novels/autobiographies about depression

Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 4:59 pm
by lisalou
Hi everyone,just wondering what other people's favourite books are that they've read about depression and other mental health problems. Here's some I'd recommend -

The bell jar - Sylvia Plath
Prozac nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel
More,now,again - Elizabeth Wurtzel
The catcher in the rye - J D Salinger
A head full of blue - Nick Johnstone
One flew over the cuckoo's nest - Ken Kesey
Wasted - Marya Hornbacher (autobiography of her eating disorders)
Madness - Marya Hornbacher (autobiography of her bipolar disorder)
A life in pieces - Richard K. Baer (multiple personality disorder,thank god i dont have it but it's a fascinating read)
An unquiet mind - Kay Redfield Jamison (bipolar)
Veronika decides to die - Paulo Coelho (not as gloomy as it sounds! it's about her surviving a suicide attempt and deciding to live for the moment. apparently a film is also being made)
But inside I'm screaming - Elizabeth Flock
A note of madness - Tabitha Suzuma
The loony bin trip - Kate Millett
Girl interrupted - Susannah Kaysen

Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:30 pm
by Mich
I have read many of those too but there are a few I haven't so I am going to check them out on Amazon. There is a book on depression by William Styron that I have also read but I cannot think of the name of it off the top of my head. It's quite a well known book. Thanks for posting this list.

Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 11:57 am
by crystalgaze
These look interesting. I believe at some point I will have to take a look at them. :)

Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2009 10:22 am
by statutoryepa
It might be more beneficial if you filtered the list to only include books that actually promote overcoming depression, rather than wallowing in it.

I know that when I was a depressed teenager I latched on to "Catcher in the Rye" because I identified with Holden, but in retrospect it really didn't do anything to help me; it just gave me a way to rationalize depression as being normal, which wasn't healthy in the least.