Health

Toner, Jacqueline B. & Claire A.B. Freeland. Depression: A Teen’s Guide To Survive
and Thrive. Magination. 2016. ISBN 9781433822742.
This YA book offers cognitive behavioral therapy philosophies and ideologies to teens who are depressed or at risk of depression. Particularly useful as a therapy adjunct. (SLJ 12/16)

Wang, Esmé Weijun. The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays. Graywolf. Feb. 2019. ISBN 9781555978273.
Reviewing a wide variety of schizophrenia diagnoses, from schizoaffective disorder to rare forms of psychosis with and without contributing factors from other diseases such as PTSD and Lyme disease, Wang combines personal narrative with research discussion. Wang covers pathology, education, and institutional settings, making the point that the schizophrenia disorders can affect both adults and children.

Medicine

Batten, Donna & Paul Schummer, Ed. Human Diseases and Conditions. Charles Scribner’s Sons: Gale Cengage. 2016. ISBN 9780684325200.
A standard medical reference tool, this four-volume set includes significant discussions of social issues and psychiatric conditions. Mental issues include autism, autism spectrum disorder, body image, anxiety, phobias, abuse, and bullying.

Benas, Nick & Michele Hart. Mental Health Emergencies: A Guide to Recognizing and Handling Mental Health Crises. Hatherleigh. 2017. ISBN 9781578266746.
One in four Americans annually experience mental health issues. Benas and Hart take a diversity and civil rights approach to mental health by offering suggestions, techniques, and recommendations on ways to recognize mental health issues and defuse or cope with those issues until professional assistance is available. Appropriate for public library patrons and workers as well as first responders and medical staff.

Miklowitz, David J. The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide, Third Edition: What You and Your Family Need To Know. 3d ed. Guilford. 2019. ISBN 9781462534982.
This updated third edition provides bipolar basics from initial experience and diagnosis to the causes in layperson’s terms, treatment options, and coping tips. There are also chapters focusing on bipolar disorder in women and children.

Memoir

Hammond, Merryl. Mad Like Me: Travels in Bipolar Country. Consultancy for Alternative Education. 2018. ISBN 9780987678881.
Presenting a patient’s view of living with bipolar disorder, Hammond demonstrates how her bipolar affected
those around her such as family, colleagues, neighbors, friends, acquaintances, and business contacts.

Mowry, Dave. OMG That’s Me! Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and More... CreateSpace. 2017. ISBN 9781546356158.
Mowry’s book demonstrates that bipolar disorder is more than a single diagnosis. It can range from the excessive moodiness of highs to lows, mania to depression to anxiety. Bipolar patients can live with multiple mental disorders simultaneously.

Nicley, Shala. Is Fred in the Refrigerator? Taming OCD and Reclaiming My Life. Nicely Done. 2018. ISBN 9781732177000.
Living with and conquering OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, anxiety, and depression since childhood, Nicley, a cognitive behavioral therapist, shares her life experiences in this telling memoir.

Psychology

Joyce, William E. Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Anxiety, Addiction and Depression: Everything You Need To Know About Treating Depression, Social Anxiety, Addictions, OCD, Phobias, Negative Thinking. Candere. Feb. 2019. ISBN 9781798447598.
This is a short (75 pages) but thorough discussion of cognitive behavioral therapy for a variety of disorders including panic disorder, OCD, social anxiety disorder, depression, and addiction.

Nadal, Kevin L. & others, Eds. The Sage Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender. Sage. 2017. ISBN 9781483384283.
Presenting a comprehensive psychological overview of gender and its role in society, articles cover topics such as gender identity, feminist and masculinist psychology, and counseling those with gender issues. Includes a narrative chronology of psychology and gender from the mid-1800s through the early 2000s. (LJ 2/1/18)

Winston, Sally M. & Martin Seif. Overcoming Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: A CBT-Based Guide to Getting over Frightening, Obsessive, or Disturbing Thoughts. New Harbinger. 2017. ISBN 9781626254343.
This cognitive behavior therapy–based self-help book addresses how to deal with persistent unwanted, frightening, disturbing, or obsessive thoughts.

Science

Kandel, Eric K. The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves. Farrar. 2018. ISBN 9780374287863.
Taking a neuroscience approach to mental health, Kandel attempts to answer the question: "What happens to one’s sense of self when the brain does not function properly due to trauma or disease?" Applying the theory that the mind consists of a set of processes that are carried out by the brain via neurons, synapses, axons, dendrites, and cell bodies, Kandel presents the scientific side of how the physical brain reacts to its environment. (LJ 7/18)

Ratcliffe, Matthew. Real Hallucinations: Psychiatric Illnesses, Intentionality, and the Interpersonal World. MIT. 2017. ISBN 9780262036719.
Presenting a philosophically pathological approach to mental health and illness, Ratcliffe concentrates on auditory hallucinations, thought insertion, and their relationship(s) with interpersonal experiences. This title is difficult to categorize as the philosophical approach allows it to fit into multiple areas: science, medical, and psychiatric.

Sacks, Oliver. Hallucinations. Knopf. 2012. ISBN 9780307947437.
This title provides an excellent overview and explanation of visual and auditory hallucinations. Based upon science and rife with real life examples, Sacks’s work investigates and identifies the root causes of hallucinations—which range from medical diseases such as migraines, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia to sensory deprivation (e.g., blindness) and mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia). (LJ 9/12)

Schwartz, Jeffrey M. Brain Lock: Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior. Anniversary ed. Harper Perennial. 2016. ISBN 9780062561435.
Emphasizing the brain chemistry side of mental illnesses such as OCD and OCPD, physician Schwartz asserts that some behavior therapy techniques can help one change the way one’s brain works. He also touches on overeating, pathological gambling, substance abuse, and compulsive sexual behavior.

Social Sciences

Barnett, Deborah. Self-Neglect and Hoarding: A Guide to Safeguarding and Support. Jessica Kingsley. 2018. ISBN 9781785922725.
UK-based adult services social worker Barnett presents the difficulties of working with hoarders and those who self-neglect. She discusses identifying and protecting patients, practical techniques of working with patients and family members, and intervention options. Barnett’s book will be helpful
to most social workers world-wide.

Hicks, Louis, Eugenia L. Weiss, and Jose E. Coll, Ed. The Civilian Lives of U.S. Veterans: Issues and Identities. Praeger: ABC-CLIO. 2017. ISBN 9781440842788.
Mental health is an integral part of veterans’ needs and services. Hicks spends a significant amount of time on mental health challenges faced by immigrant and female veterans, assistance programs, family life, physical and mental health care needs, homelessness, religion, social attitudes and the criminal justice system. (LJ 3/1/17)

Powers, Ron. No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America. Hachette. 2017. ISBN 9780316341134.
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Powers investigates mental health care in the United States while simultaneously telling the story of his two schizophrenic sons in this informative yet heartbreaking indictment of society’s treatment and understanding of those with mental illness. He also discusses the failures of the U.S. mental health system. (LJ 12/16)

Video

You’re Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don’t. Scott Kirschenbaum, Peripheral Productions. 2011.
Viewers experience Alzheimer’s patient Lee Gorewitz’s daily life through her eyes, as she attempts to make sense of the world around her. Aptly conveying her sense of loss, confusion, impatience, anger, helpfulness, and aggression, this video reveals brief glimpses of the pre-Alzheimer’s Gorewitz. This documentary presents an unusual approach to understanding and comprehending dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

For more information on mental health initiatives in libraries, see "Mental Wellness."

Laurie Selwyn is retired from Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX and is a longtime LJ reviewer