
I’ve read a lot of books in the clinical/abnormal psych genre the past few years. A LOT.
Some of these are memoirs.
Some are textbook-style books.
Some are therapy books or workbooks.
Some are even works of fiction starring main characters with mental illness.
To take a look at books I’ve read, I started to created a list! Check it out!
Bipolar Disorder:
- An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison (memoir)
- Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament by Kay Redfield Jamison
- Robert Lowell, Setting the River on Fire: A Study of Genius, Mania, and Character by Kay Redfield Jamison (biography)
- Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher (memoir)
- Manic: A Memoir by Terri Cheney (memoir)
- A Brilliant Madness: Living with Manic-depressive Illness by Patty Duke & Gloria Hochman (memoir)
- Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me by Ellen Forney (memoir)
- Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice from My Bipolar Life by Ellen Forney
- Gorilla and the Bird: A Memoir of Madness and a Mother’s Love by Zach McDermott (memoir)
- My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward: A Memoir by Mark Lukach (memoir)
- Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder by Dyane Harwood (memoir)
- This Fragile Life: A Mother’s Story of a Bipolar Son by Charlotte Pierce-Baker (memoir)
- The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Bipolar Disorder: Using DBT to Regain Control of Your Emotions and Your Life by Sheri Van Dijk
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Bipolar Disorder by Monica Basco & A. John Rush
- Healthy Living with Bipolar Disorder by International Bipolar Foundation
- Bipolar, Not so Much: Understanding your Mood Swings and Depression by Chris Aiken, MD & James Phelps, MD
- Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (Fiction)
- Rx by Rachel Lindsay (Comic book style memoir)
- The Bipolar Handbook: Real-Life Questions with Up-to-Date Answers by Wes Burgess, MD, PhD
- Another Kind of Madness: A Journey through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness by Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD (memoir with focus on growing up with father with mental illness)
- Currently reading/On My Reading List:
- Bipolar 101: A Practical Guide to Identifying Triggers, Managing Medications, Coping with Symptoms & More by Ruth White & John Preston
- Mental: Lithium, Love & Losing My Mind by Jaime Lowe
- Understanding Bipolar Disorder: The Essential Family Guide (Tools to Thrive Together) by Aimee Daramus, PsyD
Anxiety:
- Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson (memoir)
- First, We Make the Beast Beautiful: A New Journey Through Anxiety by Sarah Wilson (memoir)
OCD:
- The Man Who Couldn’t Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought by David Adam (memoir)
- Turtles all the Way Down by John Green (YA Fiction)
Depression:
- The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon
- Boy Meets Depression: Or Life Sucks and then you Live by Kevin Breel (memoir)
- The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe (also mentions suicidality, anxiety, and OCD tendencies)
- Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things that Happened by Allie Brosh (graphic memoir)
- Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (graphic memoir)
Trauma:
- Know My Name by Chanel Miller (memoir)
- Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky (YA Fiction)
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD
- Why Women are Blamed for Everything: Exploring Victim Blaming of Women Subjected to Violence and Trauma by Dr Jessica Taylor
Eating Disorders:
- Body Positive Power: Because Life is Already Happening and You Don’t Need Flat Abs to Live It by Megan Crabbe (memoir)
- Blossoms and Bones: Drawing a Life Back Together by Kim Krans (graphic memoir)
Suicide:
- Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (memoir)
- Night Falls Fast by Kay Redfield Jamison
- Suicidal: Why we Kill Ourselves by Jesse Bering
- Why People Die by Suicide by Thomas Joiner
- Myths About Suicide by Thomas Joiner
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (semi-autobiographical novel)
- Currently reading/On My Reading List:
- I’m Fine: A Student’s Perspective on Suicide and Mental Health on College Campuses by Emily Kumpf
Substance Use:
- Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
- The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp (YA Fiction)
Borderline Personality Disorder:
- Coping with BPD: DBT and CBT Skills to Soothe the Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder by Blaise Aguirre MD & Gillian Galen, PsyD
- Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
- Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha M. Linehan (memoir)
Schizophrenia & Schizoaffective Disorder:
- The Center Cannot Hold : My Journey Through Madness by Elyn R. Saks (memoir)
- Bitter Medicine: A Graphic Memoir of Mental Illness by Clem Martini & Olivier Martini (graphic memoir)
- The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esme Wang (memoir)
Therapy:
- How to be Happy or at Least Less Sad: A Creative Workbook by Lee Crutchley
- Letters to a Young Therapist by Mary Pipher
- The Gift of Therapy: An Open Letter to a New Generation of Therapists & Their Patients by Irvin D. Yalom, MD
- Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (memoir from therapist)
- Group by Christie Tate (memoir from group therapy patient perspective)
Self-help Books:
- The *More or Less* Definitive Guide to Self-Care by Anna Borges
Textbooks I’ve looked into:
- Stahl’s Essential Psychopharmacology: Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications by Stephen M. Stahl (I’ve read certain parts… I really like Chapter 6 on Mood Disorders with how it creates visual illustrations of various types of bipolar disorder.) I see the Prescriber’s Guide version of this in pretty much every psychiatry office.
- Manic-Depressive Illness: Bipolar Disorders and Recurrent Depression by Kay Redfield Jamison & Frederick Goodwin (Textbook with 2 volumes)
Career-related Resources:
- Insider’s Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology by Michael Sayette & John Norcross
School Psychology:
- Today in School Psychology: This is Why a Day without Direct Contact with Students is Wasted by Charles Barrett PhD
- It’s Always About the Children by Charles Barrett PhD
- The Thriving School Psychologist: 4 Steps to Better Time Management, Lower Stress, and More Impact in Your School Community – Beyond Testing by Rebecca Branstetter, Ph.D.
I want to read a book written by YOU! XoXo
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I feel like if I wrote a book, it would be more like a series of essays than a regular book. I have no idea how people manage to write entire books! That seems so overwhelming. I wouldn’t even know where to begin! Lol.
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