6 Books to Read about Depression
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1 in 4 people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, yet for some reason there’s still a huge stigma attached to suffering from a mental health problem. Slowly but surely we’re starting to talk, to our friends and family, online and in the media, but there’s still a long way to go until mental health is viewed as seriously as physical health. Until treatment is readily available to those who are ill, and until shame and secrecy don’t come attached to the diagnosis of a mental illness.
Depression, as well as being one of the most common mental health problems, is something that I’ve struggled with for a long time and reading about the experiences of others has really helped me to understand my illness, and myself. Here’s a list of books about depression that are very close to my heart - they’ve all helped me and I hope that they help you too, whether you suffer from a mental illness yourself, or you know someone who does. Let’s get talking and let’s save lives.
Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
‘Reasons to Stay Alive is about making the most of your time on earth. In the western world the suicide rate is highest amongst men under the age of 35. Matt Haig could have added to that statistic when, aged 24, he found himself staring at a cliff-edge about to jump off. This is the story of why he didn't, how he recovered and learned to live with anxiety and depression. It's also an upbeat, joyous and very funny exploration of how to live better, love better, read better and feel more.’
This is the first book that I recommend to people who want to understand how to feels to have depression. Matt Haig’s book is heart achingly honest about how it feels to have the disease, from the darkest depths of a depressive episode to the joy that comes from your eventual recovery. It’s real but also incredibly hopeful, and when I read this book it made me feel seen and understood. Reasons to Stay Alive is a monumental book for destigmatizing mental illness and I’m so glad that it exists.
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The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X. R. Pan
‘When Leigh's mother dies by suicide she leaves only a scribbled note - “I want you to remember”. Leigh doesn't understand its meaning and wishes she could turn to her best friend, Axel - if only she hadn't kissed him and changed everything between them. Guided by a mysterious red bird, Leigh travels to Taiwan to meet her grandparents for the first time. There, Leigh retreats into art and memories, where colours collide, the rules of reality are broken and the ghosts of the past refuse to rest… But Leigh is determined to unlock her family's secrets. To remember.’
The Astonishing Colour of After is an absolutely wonderful book. A tragic tale laced with hope, this is the story of what’s left behind when someone dies from depression’s final symptom, suicide. Piece by piece Leigh fits her family history back together, as well as herself, while she slowly comes to terms with the loss of her mother.
The writing itself is beautiful and I loved reading about life and culture in Taiwan, where most of the book is based. If you’re looking for a hard hitting fiction story about the reality of mental illness, and you’re prepared for a little magical realism, then this is the read for you.
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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
‘Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live. Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything. One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life. Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?’
As one of the most hyped books of 2018, I was initially reluctant to read this book - and when I did finally pick it up towards the end of the year, I wasn’t taken by it at first. Slowly but surely I fell in love with Eleanor’s character as her deepest feelings and darkest memories were revealed, hidden under layer upon layer of a single lie: ‘I’m fine’. This is a poignant novel that reflects the severity of our society’s loneliness epidemic, and really highlights how we never know what’s going on inside someone’s head.
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Chase the Rainbow by Poorna Bell
‘Punk rocker, bird nerd and book lover Rob Bell had a full, happy life. He had a loving wife, a big-bottomed dog named Daisy and a career as a respected science journalist. But beneath the carefully cultivated air of machoism and the need to help other people, he struggled with mental health and a drug addiction that began as a means to self-medicate his illness. In 2015, he ended his life in New Zealand on a winter’s night. But what happened? How did a middle-class Catholic boy from the suburbs, who had an ocean of people who loved him, and a brain the size of a planet, end up dying alone by his own hand? How did it get to this point? In the search to find out about the man she loved, and how he arrived at that desperate, dark moment, Poorna Bell, Executive Editor of The Huffington Post UK, went on a journey spanning New Zealand, India and England to discover more about him.’
In the UK suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. This memoir unravels the road that led to one man taking his life, the struggles he faced, and the impact it had on the woman he left behind. I was particularly interested in the relationship that drug use had with Rob’s illness; addiction is such a taboo in our society and it’s something that we need to start talking about in order to save lives. It’s an illness like any other that deserves treatment. Written with the grace and investigative nature of a well practised journalist, this is a gripping read that was impossible for me to put down.
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
‘In Furiously Happy, a humour memoir tinged with just enough tragedy and pathos to make it worthwhile, Jenny Lawson examines her own experience with severe depression and a host of other conditions, and explains how it has led her to live life to the fullest: "I've often thought that people with severe depression have developed such a well for experiencing extreme emotion that they might be able to experience extreme joy in a way that ‘normal people' also might never understand. And that's what Furiously Happy is all about.”’
Here’s a book about mental illness that’s genuinely really funny. Jenny Lawson has a great sense of humour, and with this book she shows that even those with severe depression (and various other illnesses) can see the joy there is to be had in life. I read this one years ago so it’s difficult for me to remember all of the finer details, but it’s definitely a book that has stubbornly lodged itself in my mind and refused to give way. It’s a brilliant read and definitely one that will make you smile.
Depression in a Digital Age by Fiona Thomas
‘Fiona was your average 80's baby. She grew up without an iPhone, used actual landlines to make calls, and didn't have the luxury (or perhaps the curse) of Facebook during her adolescent years. But though her childhood took place in an analogue world, she found herself suffering from the same problems many young people face today; the race for perfectionism, high levels of anxiety, a fear of success.
Fiona traces her life dealing with anxiety and the subsequent depression, and how a digital life helped her find her community, find her voice, find herself.’
Out of all the books on this list, this is the one that I was able to relate to the most. The text itself can be split roughly into two halves; the first that details Fiona’s childhood and early career, and the second that describes her recovery from a severe mental illness, and relationship with the digital world. While the first section is brilliant for providing context to her story, it was the second half that I absolutely adored. Fiona talks about finding her community online, making friends who she would eventually meet in ‘real life’, and the confidence that she found from having her own little space on the internet. You almost never hear about the positive impact of the online world, particularly in the media, and while it does have its downsides it definitely isn’t all doom and gloom. In fact, it can be a lifeline.
If you’re interested in mental health, the internet, and how the two interact, then you need to read this book.
I completely adored each and every one of these titles; if you’ve read any of them then do let me know as I’d love to hear your thoughts!
More Blog Posts
An Interview with Fiona Thomas, Author of Depression in a Digital Age