Mental Illness

Mental illnesses are common, yet the stigma of discussions around mental health remains. We hope this compilation inspires conversations about mental health, whether you are a professor looking to round out a syllabus or someone hoping to better understand your own experiences. Read on to discover study guides for fiction and nonfiction titles spanning a variety of important topics, such as suicide, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, trauma, and bipolar disorder.

Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Education, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger

Tags Crime / Legal, Psychology, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Education, Education, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychology, Mental Illness


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: Colonialism, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Philosophy, Mental Illness, Psychology, Self Help, Philosophy, Sociology, Health / Medicine, Health


Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Friendship

Tags LGBTQ, Realistic Fiction, Bullying, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart was originally published in 2016. A coming-of-age novel set in contemporary America, the book tells the stories of two unique and inspiring teenagers who find themselves and each other. Lily and Dunkin was named one of NPR’s Best Kids’ Books of 2016, one of Amazon’s Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016, and one of YALSA’s picks for Best Fiction for Young Adults in 2017. This guide is based on... Read Lily and Dunkin Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: Fathers, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags Mental Illness, Gender / Feminism, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Community

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine, Sociology, Philosophy, Depression / Suicide, Science / Nature, Psychology, Philosophy


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Self Discovery, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Relationships: Family

Tags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness


Publication year 2019

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Psychology, Self Help, Psychology, Biography, Mental Illness

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed (2019) is a nonfiction book by American writer and psychotherapist, Lori Gottlieb. A combination of memoir and popular science, it brings together Gottlieb’s personal life experience and her therapeutic work to illuminate the role therapy can play in everyone’s lives. The work has become a New York Times bestseller and Time magazine Must-Read Book of the Year. It was shortlisted for... Read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone Summary


Publication year 2010

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Identity: Disability

Tags Realistic Fiction, Disability, Mental Illness, Grief / Death, Children's Literature, Modern Classic Fiction


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

Monday’s Not Coming (2018) is a young adult novel by Tiffany D. Jackson. She employs a nonlinear narrative to explore issues of race, mental illness, and media bias. Claudia Coleman narrates the story of how her best friend, Monday Charles, disappeared for a year, and no one but Claudia seemed to notice or care.Published by Harper Collins, Monday’s Not Coming earned Jackson the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe award for new talent. It was also nominated... Read Monday's Not Coming Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Sexuality, Emotions/Behavior: Memory

Tags LGBTQ, Romance, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

More Happy Than Not (2015) is Adam Silvera’s debut novel. It was well received and marked Silvera’s entrance into the growing field of queer young adult fiction. In the Author’s Note, Silvera speaks about his own sexuality and the difficulty of feeling “wrong” when surrounded by his straight friends. This insight and a deft writing hand have allowed him to produce several books featuring young queer protagonists, such as the acclaimed They Both Die at... Read More Happy Than Not Summary


Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Music

Tags Realistic Fiction, Travel Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness

David Arnold’s 2015 debut novel, Mosquitoland, is a coming-of-age story that’s intended for a young adult audience. The novel was one of NPR’s and Amazon’s best books of 2015. This guide refers to the 2015 Penguin Random House edition. Plot SummaryThe story follows 16-year-old Mary Iris Malone, also referred to as Mim, as she travels alone from Jackson, Mississippi, to Cleveland, Ohio. Shortly before her journey, her parents divorced, and her father remarried and moved... Read Mosquitoland Summary


Publication year 2020

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Literature

Tags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Love / Sexuality, Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness, Trauma / Abuse / Violence


Publication year 2018

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Immigration

Tags Immigration / Refugee, Latin American Literature, Children's Literature, Mental Illness, Biography


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community

Tags Social Justice, Race / Racism, Self Help, Colonialism / Postcolonialism, African American Literature, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine


Publication year 2018

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy

Tags Addiction / Substance Abuse, Grief / Death, Class, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Modern Classic Fiction, Mental Illness


Publication year 1998

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Mothers, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Life/Time: Aging

Tags Play: Drama, Drama / Tragedy, Depression / Suicide, Relationships, Women's Studies (Nonfiction), Education, Education, American Literature, History: World, Mental Illness, Classic Fiction

’Night, Mother by Marsha Norman opened on Broadway in 1983, earning the Tony Award for Best Play and the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play takes place in real time, with no intermission or breaks in the action, to depict the unrelenting emotional exchange between Thelma and her daughter, Jessie, after Jessie announces that she plans to commit suicide. As Jessie sets her affairs in order, Thelma tries unsuccessfully to stop Jessie’s plan from... Read Night, Mother Summary


Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Identity: Mental Health, Life/Time: The Past, Relationships: Mothers, Society: War

Tags History: World, Mental Illness, Historical Fiction, Military / War, American Civil War


Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Society: Community

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Health, Religion / Spirituality, Psychology, Mental Illness, Health / Medicine


Publication year 1948

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love

Tags Japanese Literature, Depression / Suicide, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Asian Literature, Philosophy, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 1957

Genre Poem, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Society: Community, Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy

Tags Free verse, Lyric Poem, Mental Illness, Grief / Death, Classic Fiction