26 Books About Mental Health That Everyone Should Read

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26 Books About Mental Health That Everyone Should Read


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1

Don’t Believe Everything You Think

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Don’t Believe Everything You Think

Now 13% Off

We can be our own worst enemy sometimes, saying things to ourselves that we’d never even think about saying to someone else. Learning to deal with negative thoughts and overcome them is a hard, but important, journey, and this book aims to take you on that.

2

Penguin Books The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

<i>The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma</i>

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Penguin Books The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma

Now 40% Off

This book from Dr. Bessel van der Kolk is a must-read that’ll help you understand the mental and physical effects of trauma and how it quite literally can reshape our bodies. It also explores therapeutic avenues that can help restore our capacity for happiness, trust, and self-control.

3

Allen & Unwin The Courage To Be Disliked

<i>The Courage To Be Disliked</i>

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Allen & Unwin The Courage To Be Disliked

Being overwhelmed by thoughts of whether or not people like you is exhausting, to say the least, and this book focuses on being able to break free of other people’s expectations and move past the limitations we place on ourselves.

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4

I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life

<i>I'm So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life</i>

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I’m So Effing Tired: A Proven Plan to Beat Burnout, Boost Your Energy, and Reclaim Your Life

Now 11% Off

Never have I ever related to the title of a book more, and I think a lot of us are on the same page. Burnout is rampant and we’re all just out here grinding every day trying to get by. From eating habits to stress-management, this book tries to help you get your energy back.

Books about mental health don’t all have to be self-help strategies and psychological research. This collection of poems about mental health explores anxiety, depression, and self-love in a beautiful, emotional, and relatable way.

6

Harmony The Highly Sensitive Person

<i>The Highly Sensitive Person</i>

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Harmony The Highly Sensitive Person

Now 38% Off

If you’ve heard your whole life that you’re “too sensitive” or “too shy,” then those are signs you might be a highly sensitive person. This book comes with self assessments to help you understand your own behaviors, as well as information on how to cope with overstimulation and build up your self esteem.

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Some of us overthink so much you’d wonder if we were competing for an Olympic medal in it. But let’s be real, when it comes down to it, overthinking really isn’t helping anyone. In fact, it’s often harmful. This book tries to help you understand where that exhausting, spiraling tendency comes from and provides helpful tips on how to kick rumination to the curb.

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New Harbinger Publications Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

<i>Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents</i>

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New Harbinger Publications Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Now 20% Off

Credit: Lindsay C. Gibson

If you suspect (or know) that you were raised by emotionally immature parents, then this book is for you. It will not only help you to better understand your parent’s behavior—not to mention what expectations you can realistically have for an emotionally immature parent—but it will also help you understand exactly how their shortcomings may have affected your own behavior.

9

Flatiron Books What Happened to You?

<i>What Happened to You?</i>

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Flatiron Books What Happened to You?

Now 45% Off

Credit: Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey has a mental health book? Say less! Written with Dr. Bruce D. Perry, this book dives into the idea of not always blaming ourselves or questioning our own emotions, but instead looking at the trauma we’ve endured that lead us to those reactions. Essentially, it’s a shift from wondering “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”

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10

Permission to Come Home

<i>Permission to Come Home<i>

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Permission to Come Home

Now 39% Off

Dr. Jenny Wang, founder of the Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian American (APISAA) Therapist Directory, is filling a serious gap in mental health book world with her 2022 resource Permission to Come Home. This book is specifically written for Asian Americans, immigrants, and other minorities and marginalized people, and it provides resources to help readers work on self-care and mental health. Dr. Wang also runs the Insta @asiansformentalhealth, so check her out!

11

Avery I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)

<i>I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't)</i>

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Avery I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn’t)

Now 33% Off

Credit: Brené Brown

If you’ve ever struggled with perfectionism, people pleasing, or anxiety about what others think, you know just how draining it can be. In this book, Brené Brown looks to show readers how to put self-criticism aside and embrace imperfections and vulnerabilities as strengths.

12

Da Capo Lifelong Books Are u ok?

<i>Are u ok?<i>

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Da Capo Lifelong Books Are u ok?

Now 45% Off

Credit: Kati Morton

This book is like a beginner’s guide to mental health. It answers the most basic questions, like the difference between mental health and mental illness, how to figure out when you need professional help, and how to make your first therapy appointment. If you are just starting on your mental healthcare journey (or even if you’re not!), this book is a great resource.

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13

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

<i>Maybe You Should Talk to Someone<i>

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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Credit: Lori Gottlieb

If you’re in therapy and have (as we all do) wondered what your therapist is really thinking, this book might give you some insight. Therapist Lori Gottlieb takes you through a year’s worth of sessions, clients’ problems, and her own personal life to give you an exclusive look behind the curtain.

14

Althea Press Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now

<i>Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now</i>

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Althea Press Be Calm: Proven Techniques to Stop Anxiety Now

Now 37% Off

Credit: Jill P. Weber

When you’re dealing with anxiety, it takes a lot more than telling yourself to “be calm” to actually feel calm (wouldn’t that be so nice though?!). So in this book, Dr. Jill Webber includes a range of evidence-based strategies to help reduce your anxiety in a wide variety of circumstances.

15

The State of Black Girls

<i>The State of Black Girls<i>

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The State of Black Girls

Marline Francois Madden, owner and clinical director of Hearts Empowerment Counseling Center, wrote a mental health book to empower Black girls by talking through specific self-care tools like affirmations and goal-setting.

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16

Microcosm Publishing Unf#ck Your Brain

<i>Unf#ck Your Brain<i>

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Microcosm Publishing Unf#ck Your Brain

Credit: Faith G. Harper

Our brains are AMAZING. But…they can totally mess with you. Dr. Faith Harper digs into what happens when things go awry in that ol’ noggin of yours and gives tips on how to “retrain” your brain to respond to situations more appropriately. And of course there’s LOTS of colorful language sprinkled throughout the entire f*cking book.

17

Penguin Life It Didn’t Start With You

<i>It Didn’t Start With You<i>

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Penguin Life It Didn’t Start With You

Now 30% Off

Credit: Mark Wolynn

At this point, most of us know that parents can do real damage to their kids’ emotional wellbeing, but what this book explores is how it’s not even necessarily things done directly to you that can have an impact. It Didn’t Start With You gets into the concept of “inherited family trauma” and how that can affect everything from our gene expression to emotional health. Fascinating stuff!

18

Adams Media Kind of Coping

<i>Kind of Coping<i>

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Adams Media Kind of Coping

Now 25% Off

Credit: Maureen Marzi Wilson

Who says you need to read a long, dense book about mental health to get something out of it? This book of hilarious and relatable cartoons about coping with anxiety will have you feeling like you’re commiserating with a good friend, which we all know is one of the best kinds of self-care.

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19

New Harbinger Publications Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind

<i>Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind<i>

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New Harbinger Publications Don’t Feed the Monkey Mind

Now 23% Off

Credit: Jennifer Shannon

Cognitive behavioral therapy, often referred to as CBT, is one of the most effective ways to treat anxiety. This book delves into the basics of CBT, plus other mindfulness techniques, to help you learn how to question anxious thoughts and stop them from taking over.

20

W. W. Norton & Company Nobody’s Normal

<i>Nobody’s Normal<i>

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W. W. Norton & Company Nobody’s Normal

Now 44% Off

Credit: Roy Richard Grinker

These days, people casually drop that they’re in therapy all the time (because it is casual, duh), but some still find mental health difficult to talk about. If you’re a fellow history nerd, you’re going to love this book because it explores the treatment of people with mental illnesses going back centuries and how it created this unfair stigma.

Headshot of Laura Hanrahan

Laura is a NYC-based freelance writer. When she’s not binging the latest true crime docu-series, she’s obsessing over all things Harry Styles, RHONY, and John Mulaney. You can follow her on Instagram @lauraehanrahan

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