best books about mental illnesses, or mental health institution?

Sweetix

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hello,
i am currently writing a book about mental illness and mental health institution, so i would like to get a little inspiration from others books, because i practically don't know anything about this subject. i would really like to see how it is in the patient's mind and stuff. do you have any recommendations? :)
 

gtbun

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The Liar by Stephen Fry has elements of mental illness in it. If you want a wonderful book about it, that isn't fiction, then Kay Redfield Jamison's An Unquiet Mind is a must. It's a really beautiful memoir on manic depression.
 

EmilyEmily

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Alexander Maksik's Shelter in Place is narrated by an (untreated) bipolar man. It is unexpected and sad and lovely.
 

Lakey

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Obvious answer is obvious so here it is: Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, which, though it's more than half a century old, still paints a chilling and relatable picture of crippling depression. Part of what makes it so effective is that while the narrator is very insightful and aware of her own thought processes in some ways, she's out of touch with her own depression in other ways. Thus she relates some of her more disturbing thoughts and activities in a fairly matter-of-fact way, as though, for instance, throwing all one's clothes off the roof of a high-rise hotel is a perfectly normal thing to do. It also contains a lot of material on life in a certain kind of mental hospital in the 1950s, including a pretty harrowing account of shock treatments. In short, it's a classic, and foundational in my opinion if you're new to the subject.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Shadows in the Sun by Gayathri Ramprasad is a beautifully written look at depression from onset to healing.

I have not read The Glass Castle, but I understand it's an excellent look at an insane family.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

blacbird

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"Mental illness" is a huge and vague category. You might do better to get more specific about your character's problem. Paranoid schizophrenia is a very different thing from chronic obsessive-compulsive disorder is a very different thing from bipolar disorder, and in each of those (and many other) categories, there is a spectrum of severity and manifestations. Many people suffer from a multitude of these things, too.

A nonfiction account of a battle with personal depression by a famed fiction author is Darkness Visible, by William Styron (I have a signed copy).

caw
 

Emermouse

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I agree. You have kind of cast a wide net. What kind of mental illness are you writing about? Mood disorders or psychosis? Are you writing nonfiction or fiction? If you're writing fiction, what genre?

Me, as a YA buff, I would recommend Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman. The protagonist is a teenage boy who has been sliding into psychosis for a while and is reaching the point where he can no longer hide it. What makes this novel even better is that Shusterman based the experiences of the protagonist on those of his son, Brendan, who was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder as a teenager. The protagonist's drawings in the book are ones that Shusterman's son had done while in the grips of his disorder. The book is a real labor of love for Shusterman and it shows from beginning to end.

If we're talking about nonfiction, Madness by Marya Hornbacher is amazing. It's about her struggle with Bipolar I. She had also written a book about her eating disorders called Wasted for those interested, and it really is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject. It strips away whatever misconceptions/romanticizations one might have about eating disorders and drives home the point that it's not simply a matter of "just start eating."
 

LJD

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The OP hasn't been here in a year. Just saying.

It also contains a lot of material on life in a certain kind of mental hospital in the 1950s, including a pretty harrowing account of shock treatments.

If anyone needs a recent account of someone's experience with electroshock...well, you can PM me. I've had it.
 

EmilyEmily

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I just finished Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn. If you are into YA, this is a very original depiction of...I can't say without giving spoilers. But be assured that the MC suffers a horrific mental illness, and the ending/reveal is shocking.
 

EmilyEmily

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Engleby by Sebastian Faulks.

I can't believe I didn't think of it the first time I saw this thread. Engleby is superb.
 

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If you read German, I would recommend Der Hunger nach Wahnsinn [The Hunger for Insanity] by Maria Erlenberger, in which the author recounts of her conscious decision to fast and always be hungry as a means to overcome the current ideology of wanting more and more and her resulting eating disorder and experiences in a psychiatric institution. An emotionally difficult but rewarding read.
 

mccardey

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hello,
i am currently writing a book about mental illness and mental health institution, so i would like to get a little inspiration from others books, because i practically don't know anything about this subject.

:Huh:
 

writergirl1994

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"The Butcher Boy" by Patrick McCabe is one of my favorite novels of all time, but be forewarned, it's very dark and disturbing.
 

Transformersfan123

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It's nice to find another author that's writing on mental illness! I wrote a novella focusing on several. I had to do a lot of research on different things, as well as basing some of it off my own experiences. Part of my book has Asperger's in it, and I read an entire manual on it, written by an expert. What miffs me is that there is hardly any research going around about women with the condition. The book was 'The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome' if you're interested.
 

DanielSTJ

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I cannot believe no one has mentioned one of my favorite books of all time: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

Read it! It's amazing!

But you might cry a lil' bit.

I did. :cry:

P.S. I'm thrilled by everyone's recommendations! Next paycheck I have I'm going to look into ordering or buying some of these books for my Kindle. Thanks everyone! : D
 
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Gemini_11

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Which area of mental illness are you interested in writing about? Major Depression Disorder, Bipolar, PTSD? There's quite a few, but I'll do my best with some recommendations:
YA
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini (who suffered from mental illness himself) - Depression/Anxiety/Suicidal Ideation
Turtles all the way down by John Green - Anxiety/OCD
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - Suicidal Ideation (possibly Bipolar but never quite confirmed?)
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - Depression/Suicidal Ideation (in the area of)

Adult:
Are you my mother by Alison Bechdel (a graphic memoir but dives pretty deep in psychological theories)
Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher - Bipolar, Type 1
Girl, Interrupted
Porzac Nation
I hope this helps what you're looking for!