These 5 contemporary literary works showcase the diversity in mental health experiences.
- While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence by Meg Kissinger
While You Were Out is a memoir by Meg Kissinger, who grew up in a family of 8 children, raised by parents who battled depression, alcoholism, and addiction in silence. Kissinger shares her devastating account of her siblings’ struggles with mental health and the traumatic recollection of her sister’s suicide. Told from the perspective of an investigative journalist, she comments on the stigmatization of mental health and how families like hers have been failed by America’s healthcare system. Meg Kissinger is an award-winning investigative journalist who has spent her career reporting on America’s mental health system. While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence is her first novel, published in 2023. It was nominated for Goodreads’ 2023 Choice Award for Readers’ Favorite Memoir & Autobiography.
- Obsessive, Magical, Intrusive Thinking by Marianne Eloise
Marianne Eloise’s debut essay collection, Obsessive, Magical, Intrusive Thinking, sheds light on neurodivergent mental health and shares her distinctive experiences with autism and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Education around neurodiversity, the term for the natural variation in how our brains function, is one of the main aims of Mental Health Awareness month, and many readers gained a greater insight from the novel’s portrayal of our complex mental behaviors. Eloise immerses readers in her essays, giving them a glimpse into what it is like inside her brain and commenting on the flaws of today’s mental health culture. Marianne Eloise is a writer and journalist covering topics ranging from TV and pop culture to health and disability.
- Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen
Ab(solutely) Normal is a short story collection focusing on teen mental health. Its contributions showcase diverse mental health experiences across gender and racial identities, touching on experiences with various mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, menstrual-related disorders, and more. Stories like the ones in Ab(solutely) Normal have broken barriers in the stigmatization of mental health and have helped many young adult readers feel seen.
- Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety by Daniel B. Smith
Monkey Mind is a comedic memoir by Daniel B. Smith that takes the reader through the ups and downs of living with anxiety. The memoir elucidates how panic attacks and anxiety have affected some of the most significant events and decisions of his life. This Mental Health Awareness Month, Smith’s novel is a great way to learn about anxiety- the most common category of mental health disorders in America. Daniel B. Smith is a journalist and author of the novel Muses, Madmen, and Prophets in addition to Monkey Mind.
- Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life by Melody Moezzi
Haldol and Hyacinths is a memoir by Melody Moezzi, focusing on her experiences with bipolar disorder as a Muslim woman in the Iranian diaspora. She delves into how she navigated the treatment for bipolar disorder amidst the stigmatization of mental health, while also commenting on the differences between how society deals with physical illnesses compared to mental illnesses. Her unique memoir gives readers insight into the complex intersection of mental health and cultural identity. Melody Moezzi is a long-time writer, attorney, and mental health activist. Haldol and Hyacinths is her 3rd book.
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