Bibliotherapy
Here you can find a collection of both nonfiction and fictional books related to mental health and healing. As I read more potentially relevant books, I will add them here.
The books presented here are not paid advertisements but simply books I have read and thought could be useful to others. These books are not my own and belong to the rightful owners, which means I do not always align with everything said in a book.
Nonfiction
These next few books are nonfiction. Some are more psychoeducational, others are told in memoir style. A few are workbooks, and some are faith-based (Christian).
The Body Keeps the Score
A nonfictional book that blends science, attachment, and psychology to explore how trauma impacts the person.
Bessel van der Kolk
Attached
A nonfictional book that explores attachment science and how our past experiences impact our current relationships.
Amir Levine
What Color Is Your Parachute?
Richard BollesA nonfictional book that gives practical advice for job hunting and career planning.
Growing Up with a Schizophrenic Mother
A nonfictional book that explores the complex trauma and various experiences of those raised by a mother with schizophrenia.
Margaret Brown & Doris Parker Roberts
Manic
Terri CheneyA memoir that explores one person’s lived experience with a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
The Quiet Room
Lori SchillerA memoir that explores one person’s lived experience with a schizophrenia diagnosis.
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden
Joanne Greenberg A memoir that explores one person’s lived experience with a schizophrenia diagnosis.
Debra FiletaSoul Care
A nonfictional book that approaches self-care and rest from a Christian-integrated counseling perspective.
Defeating OCD in 40 Days
A nonfictional book that gives practical tools for working through obsessive compulsive disorder, especially scrupulosity or moral/religious OCD for Christian audiences.
Reema Angelique
The Self-Compassion Workbook for OCD
A workbook to help you understand your OCD symptoms and learn new skills to address some of the most distressing symptoms.
Kimberley QuinlanFiction
These next few books are fictional and story-based, but they have connections to mental health topics that might resonate with you. As I read more, you may see this section grow. At the moment, most of the listings are for titles from Emma Noyes, who specifically writes novels with mental health representation.
How to Hide in Plain Sight
A romance novel that depicts what living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) looks like. Specifically, the main character has “pure O” OCD with internal compulsions.
Emma Noyes
Remarkably Bright Creatures
A literary fiction novel that explores topics related to grief, loneliness, and an estranged parental relationship.
Shelby Van Pelt
Emma NoyesGuy’s Girl
A romance novel that explores the complexity of disordered eating behaviors. This book specifically depicts symptoms of both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa diagnoses.
Emma NoyesPrince of the Sun
A fantasy romance novel that depicts disordered eating behaviors that arise in the wake of complicated grief and trauma.