Mental Illness in YA — A Reading List
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 5 teens and young adults live with a mental health condition. This is a scary number but even scarier is being a young person who is experiencing signs of a mental illness. The following is a list of books that highlight mental illness in a young adult’s life. Read and share.
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It’s Kind of a Funny Story By: Ned Vizzini A humorous account of a New York City teenager’s battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital. Ages 14 and up |
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Mosquitoland By: David Arnold Enduring a dysfunctional existence with her father and new stepmother, snarky Mim learns that her mother is sick and hops a bus to visit her, experiencing a journey filled with unexpected revelations. Ages 12 and up |
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The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B By: Teresa Toten Adam not only is trying to understand his OCD, while trying to balance his relationship with his divorced parents, but he’s also trying to navigate through the issues that teenagers normally face, namely the perils of young love. Ages 13 and up |
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Highly Illogical Behavior By: John Corey Whatley Agoraphobic sixteen-year-old Solomon has not left his house in three years, but Lisa is determined to change that–and to write a scholarship-winning essay based on the results. Ages 14 and up |
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Every Last Word By: Tamara Ireland Stone Consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can’t turn off, a girl coping with Purely-Obsessional OCD learns to accept herself and take control of her life through her experiences in poetry club. Ages 12 and up |
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Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock By: Matthew Quick A day in the life of a suicidal teen boy saying good-bye to the four people who matter most to him. Ages 15 and up |
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Challenger Deep By: Neal Shusterman As he struggles with schizophrenia, a teenage boy believes he is on a journey to reach the bottom of Challenger Deep, the deepest place on Earth. Ages 14 and up |
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The Sea of Tranquility By: Katja Millay Two and a half years after an unspeakable tragedy left her a shadow of the girl she once was, Nastya Kashnikov moves to a new town determined to keep her dark past hidden and hold everyone at a distance. But her plans only last so long before she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the one person as isolated as herself: Josh Bennett. Ages 15 and up |
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Finding Audrey By: Sophie Kinsella Fourteen-year-old Audrey is making slow but steady progress dealing with her anxiety disorder when Linus comes into the picture and her recovery gains momentum. Ages 12 and up |
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Wintergirls By: Laurie Halse Anderson Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend’s death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder. Ages 13 and up |