Interested in one of the recommendations?

Click on any book image to be taken to Encore where you can request it!



Bipolar, Not So Much: Understanding Your Mood Swings and Depression by Chris Aiken, MD, and James Phelps, MD – This thoughtful and beneficial book will offer readers skills and strategies, as well as hope, in the face of debilitating mental challenges.


The Campus Cure: A Parent’s Guide to Mental Health and Wellness for College Students by Marcia Morris, MD – Most mental illnesses start to arise in the later teen years and early twenties, making college-age young adults a vulnerable population. Here, Marcia Morris looks at the most common mental health issues facing this age group and what parents can do to recognize symptoms, get treatment, and support their children through these challenging years.


Depression: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed by Lee H. Coleman – A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed is a helpful pocket guide to navigating the first steps of treatment and getting symptoms under control right away. It addresses topics that people just diagnosed with depression want to know: Do I tell my friends and family, and if so, how? Should I take medication or try psychological treatments? How can I work up the motivation to change? This simple and straightforward guide answers all of readers’ questions and offers skills that are proven to help manage depression symptoms. Readers also learn how to find the help and support they need and prevent relapse once they recover from the condition. This concise guide is a must-read for anyone diagnosed with depression and serves as a handy pocket reference guide throughout the recovery process.


Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life by Christie Tate – A top law school graduate struggling with suicidal thoughts and an eating disorder describes her reluctant participation in a therapeutic support group that taught her the meaning of human connection and intimacy.


No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America by Ron Powers – New York Times bestselling author Ron Powers offers a searching, richly researched narrative of the social history of mental illness in America paired with the deeply personal story of his two sons’ battles with schizophrenia. From the centuries of torture of “lunatiks” at Bedlam Asylum to the infamous eugenics era to the follies of the anti-psychiatry movement to the current landscape in which too many families struggle alone to manage afflicted love ones, Powers limns our fears and myths about mental illness and the fractured public policies that have resulted.


Understanding Mental Illness: A Comprehensive Guide to Mental Health Disorders for Family and Friends by Carlin Barnes and Marketa Wills – More than 40 million people in the US suffer from mental health problems–yet less than half receive adequate care and treatment. Even in the 21st century with the most advanced medical care in the world, social stigma still surrounds psychiatric problems, and this, combined with a lack of understanding, perpetuates a national mental health crisis affecting those in need and their families. Ignoring and/or being unaware of a problem can have devastating effects in our families and for society at large–many people living with mental illness go untreated, and as a result, people with untreated mental illnesses make up one third of the nation’s homeless population and can be imprisoned. To meet these challenges, Dr. Carlin Barnes and Dr. Marketa Wills have written this necessary and comprehensive, practical guide to educate and help everyone better understand mental health.


You Need Help!: A Step-By-Step Plan to Convince a Loved One to Get Counseling by Mark S. Komrad – Just about everyone knows a relative, friend, or coworker who is exhibiting signs of emotional or behavioral turmoil. Yet figuring out how to reach out to that person can feel insurmountable. We know it is the right thing to do, yet many of us hesitate to take action out of fear of conflict, hurt feelings, or damaging the relationship.



Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman – A teenage boy struggles with schizophrenia in this 2017 Nutmeg Book Award nominee.


(Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation About Mental Health edited by Kelly Jensen – To understand mental health, we need to talk open about it. This collection explores a wide range of topics, from the authors’ personal experiences with mental illness and understanding how our brains are wired, to exploring the do’s and don’ts of talking about mental health.


Letting Go: A Girl’s Guide to Breaking Free of Stress and Anxiety by Christine Fonseca – Do you ever feel like you’ll never be perfect? Do you worry that what you say or do or wear will be how people remember you? It’s time to let go of those worries and embrace who you are. Learn everything you need to know to help you understand and manage the very real pressures you’re facing from life. Designed to provide strategies for managing stress and anxiety, this book is filled with practical evidence-based advice and stories from teen and young adult women like you who have found ways to manage their anxieties. Every chapter features a discussion of different types of stress and anxiety so you can understand better what you’re experiencing, activities to help you remember all the things you love about yourself and to help you understand yourself better, strategies for combating both stress and anxiety, and a stories of other girls who’ve learned to move past their stress and love their lives and themselves to the fullest.


My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic by Michael A. Tompkins and Katherine A. Martinez – The author offers ways for teens with anxiety to improve their inter-personal skills, whether it be with friends, family, or teachers; manage stress; handle panic attacks; use diet and exercise appropriately; and decide whether medication is right for them.


My Demon’s Name is Ed by Danah Khalil – Danah’s eating disorder has a personality – it’s a demon she calls Ed, the voice in her head that undermines her self-esteem and her perception of the world. How can she explain that even when she tries to develop healthier eating habits, there is a demon wriggling inside her mind, determining her every step? The eighteen-year-old author of this novel for teens brings her own journal entries to life, revealing the mental anguish of a teen suffering with anorexia and the terrifying grip the disorder holds on her.


Welcome to the Jungle: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Bipolar But Were Too Freaked Out to Ask by Hilary Smith – Bipolar is one of the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric conditions among teens and twenty-somethings–yet there are very few books out there written specifically for young people experiencing mental illness for the first time. Upfront, empowering approach to the challenges of being diagnosed with bipolar. Both humorous and immensely honest, it offers a true ‘in the trenches’ perspective young readers will trust.



Gizmo’s Pawesome Guide to Mental Health by Jennifer Adams and others – This guide was developed by the CT Suicide Advisory Board in partnership with the CT Networks of Care for Suicide Prevention Initiative, administered by the CT Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Children and Families and Public Health, and the United Way of Connecticut/211. Funding was provided by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration via the State Youth Suicide Prevention Cooperative Agreement Grant (SM062916), and the Children’s Mental Health Block Grant.


School Made Easier: A Kid’s Guide to Study Strategies and Anxiety-Busting Tools by Wendy L. Moss, PhD, and Robin A. DeLuca-Acconi, LCSW – On the first day of school, students and teachers have high hopes for the year. But as homework piles up and test dates approach, a lot of kids start to feel stressed and struggle to deal with it. School Made Easier focuses on how to manage that academic stress and the emotions that might interfere with academic success. The book teaches students ways to reduce their anxiety, increase their confidence in school, and study more effectively. These strategies such as learning positive self-talk, setting up the proper study environment, and becoming one s own study coach are designed to be fun and easy to learn. Also includes case studies of real kids, self-assessment checklists, and lots of Quick Tips.


The Survival Guide for Kids with ADD or ADHD by John F. Taylor – Provides information and advice for kids who have ADD or ADHD, including what these disorders are, ways to make things better at home, at school, and with friends, taking medicine, eating healthy foods, and more.


What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Huebner – Teaches school-age children cognitive-behavioral techniques to reduce and overcome anxiety, fears, and worry, through writing and drawing activities and self-help exercises and strategies. Includes introduction for parents.