Mental Illness

A ruthless dissection of American life in the late 1960s, Joan Didion's Play It as It Lays captures the mood of an entire generation, the ennui of contemporary society reflected in spare prose that blisters and haunts the reader. Set in a place beyond good and evil—literally in Hollywood, Las...

Until sophomore year of high school, 15-year-old Allison Britz lived a comfortable life in an idyllic town. She was a dedicated student with tons of extracurricular activities, friends, and loving parents at home. But after awakening from a vivid nightmare in which she was diagnosed with brain cancer, she was convinced the dream had been a warning. Allison believed that she must do something to stop the cancer in her dream from becoming a reality.

Are we all a little crazy? Roughly fifteen percent of the population will have a psychotic experience, in which they lose contact with reality. Yet we often struggle to understand and talk about psychosis. Interactions between people build on the stories they tell each other-stories about the past, about who they are or what they want. In psychosis we can no longer rely on these stories, this shared language. So how should we communicate with someone experiencing reality in a radically different way than we are?

A prizewinning, semi-autobiographical debut novel that explores a young woman’s struggle with mental illness at Oxford University in the 1950s—for readers of Ottessa Moshfegh, Melissa Broder, and Sally Rooney. At a tea party at Oxford University in the 1950s, earnest undergraduates in floral...

Traditional therapy and medications have taken you as far as they can, but you still live in fear of that next relapse. You diligently manage your life to avoid a manic or depressive episode, yet you can’t become the person you know you truly are. If your body, mind, and soul are crying out for relief, and you dream of a day when your mental illness no longer controls you, then This Is Me, Bipolar-Free is the beacon of hope you've been searching for.

As a research neuroscientist, Lise Eliot has made the study of the human brain her life's work. But it wasn't until she was pregnant with her first child that she became intrigued with the study of brain development. She wanted to know precisely how the baby's brain is formed, and when and how each sense, skill, and cognitive ability is developed. And most importantly, she was interested in finding out how her role as a nurturer can affect this complex process.

Maj. Gen. Gregg Martin cut a striking figure in the Army: athletic, quick witted, devout, and studious, he was a natural leader. Thanks to his engineering and leadership knowhow, Martin was chosen to lead the thousands of combat engineers who paved the way for 100,000 Army troops to battle their way to Baghdad in 2003. Only years later would he learn how the pressure of organizing dozens of simultaneous life-or-death missions each day altered the biochemistry of his brain. Bipolar General offers a candid account of Martin's personal journey with undiagnosed mental illness.

Anxiety is a very serious issue and especially the fear of illness is a real ordeal for many sufferers. But fear is also a feeling that every human being carries within him or her, which is vital or essential for survival and is stronger or weaker in each person depending on their personality. Fear drives, inspires, mobilizes one's own forces, leads to success, but can also make you sick - so sick that life becomes hell. Hypochondria - as the fear of illness is specifically called - is a phenomenon of completely exaggerated fears that can push sufferers to their limits.

Grief, mental illness, and the bonds of family are movingly explored in this extraordinary memoir “suffused with emotional depth and intellectual inquiry” (Rachel Louise Snyder, author of No Visible Bruises) as a writer delves into the tragedy of his mother’s violent death at the hands of...

First published in 2006, this updated edition describes new findings on the origins of DDD, the brain science supporting the diagnosis, and cutting-edge treatment approaches. DDD is examined from medical and psychiatric perspectives, but as the authors reveal, it also emerges in literary, philosophical, and spiritual investigations. Feeling Unreal thoroughly explores these different aspects in a fascinating and essential resource that is accessible to medical professionals and general listeners alike.

“You Look Fine”—The Three Words That Prove No One Understands What You're Going Through. Nicole O’Donnell collapsed in a store on what seemed like a normal Tuesday. That collapse triggered six years of medical hell: doctors who dismissed her symptoms, specialists who shrugged their shoulders, treatments that cost thousands and delivered nothing but false hope. Sound familiar? Here's what she discovered that changed everything: You don’t need another person telling you to “stay positive” or try the latest miracle cure.

Pat Conroy is without doubt America's favorite storyteller, a writer who portrays the anguished truth of the human heart and the painful secrets of families in richly lyrical prose and unforgettable narratives. Now, in Beach Music, he tells of the dark memories that haunt generations, in a story...

Light in the Darkness. Hope in the Wilderness. Despite his deep desire to overcome mental illness and lead others out of their own pain, pastor Andrew Stoecklein died by suicide at the age of thirty. In the wake of the tragedy, his widow, Kayla, embarked on a journey to better understand...

Beloved former ABC 20/20 anchor Elizabeth Vargas share the truth about her alcohol addiction and anxiety disorder in this honest and emotional memoir. From the moment she uttered the brave and honest words, "I am an alcoholic," to interviewer George Stephanopoulos, Elizabeth Vargas began...

For survivors of PTSD and repeated, relational trauma -- and the people who love them. Gretchen Schmelzer watched too many people quit during treatment for trauma recovery. They found it too difficult or too frightening or just decided that for them it was too late. But as a therapist and trauma...

Cheryl thought she knew her husband. Nine years after marrying her college sweetheart, the middle-class woman wondered if his odd episodes of paranoia were more than just work stress. But when his condition worsened significantly after being laid off, she made a surprising discovery that revealed the depth of his mental deterioration. Stunned when he vanished without a word, Cheryl was left with a pile of guilt and empty bank accounts and being forced to live in her car.

Many people claim they would rather be diagnosed with cancer than dementia or Alzheimer's. What they may not realize is that decreased or impaired brain function is not a foregone conclusion as we get older. Our own lifestyle choices and habits can have a significant impact - for good or ill - on our brains. And that means there's hope. Drawing from the latest medical research, Dr. Richard Furman helps listeners understand brain health and shows them how to make three powerful lifestyle changes that can help decrease the probability of developing dementia or Alzheimer's.

A rare work of narrative non-fiction that illuminates a world most of us try not to see: the daily lives of the severely mentally ill, who are medicated, marginalized, locked away and shunned. Susan Doherty's groundbreaking book brings us a population of lost souls, ill-served by society, feared...

“Ingeniously twisted.” —Entertainment Weekly, “Must List” “Will leave even the most seasoned crime fiction readers guessing.” —CrimeReads "[Jeong] maintains suspense about her inhuman-seeming protagonist's fate until the bitter end.” —The Wall Street Journal Finalist for...

In They Can't Find Anything Wrong!, Dr. David Clarke shares a life-changing approach to Stress Illness that is based on detailed interviews with and successful treatment of over 7000 patients. Tens of millions of people with Stress Illness are usually unaware of the nature or degree of the stress responsible for their symptoms. Unfortunately, few physicians are formally trained to detect and manage this problem.