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Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Memoirs of Mental Illness

"Mental health memoirs offer an eye-opening look at the lives of the mentally ill and those around them. These works of narrative medicine allow others with similar challenges to say, "That's exactly how I feel," a powerful connection through representation when these conditions can be so isolating. These accounts can be harrowing, but almost always offer comfort and education. Memoirs of mental health and addiction can also fill in the gaps of knowledge that those on the outside need to relate to those struggling with mental illness and addiction. This list of the 50 best mental health and addiction memoirs encompasses a wide scope of diagnoses, functionality, and experiences as diverse as the spectrum of mental illness."
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Agorafabulous! (Sara Benincasa)
Agorafabulous!
1
Sara Benincasa
The Body Papers (Grace Talusan)
The Body Papers
2
Grace Talusan
Brain on Fire (Susannah Cahalan)
Brain on Fire
3
Susannah Cahalan
The Buddha and the Borderline (Kiera Van Gelder)
The Buddha and the Borderline
4
Kiera Van Gelder
The Center Cannot Hold (Elyn Saks)
The Center Cannot Hold
5
Elyn Saks
The Collected Schizophrenias (Esmé Weijun Wang)
The Collected Schizophrenias
6
Esmé Weijun Wang
The Color of Hope: People of Color Mental Health Narratives (Vanessa Hazzard (Editor))
The Color of Hope: People of Color Mental Health Narratives
7
Vanessa Hazzard (Editor)
Darkness Visible (William Styron)
Darkness Visible
8
William Styron
(Don't) Call Me Crazy (Edit.Kelly Jensen)
(Don't) Call Me Crazy
9
Edit.Kelly Jensen
Down Came the Rain (Brooke Sheilds)
Down Came the Rain
10
Brooke Sheilds
Fast Girl (Hamilton)
Fast Girl
11
Hamilton
This Fragile Life: A Mother's Story of a Bipolar Son (Charlotte Pierce-Baker)
This Fragile Life: A Mother's Story of a Bipolar Son
12
Charlotte Pierce-Baker
Girl, Interrupted (Susanna Kaysen)
Girl, Interrupted
13
Susanna Kaysen
Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life (Melody Moezzi)
Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life
14
Melody Moezzi
Heart Berries (Terese Marie Mailhot)
Heart Berries
15
Terese Marie Mailhot
Heavy an American Memoir (Kiese Laymon)
Heavy an American Memoir
16
Kiese Laymon
How to Murder Your Life (Cat Marnell)
How to Murder Your Life
17
Cat Marnell
Hunger: A Memoir (Roxane Gay)
Hunger: A Memoir
18
Roxane Gay
Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story (Mac McClelland)
Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story
19
Mac McClelland
Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness, Only More So (Mark Vonnegut)
Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness, Only More So
20
Mark Vonnegut
Just Checking: Scenes From the Life of an Obsessive-Compulsive (Emily Colas)
Just Checking: Scenes From the Life of an Obsessive-Compulsive
21
Emily Colas
A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story About Schizophrenia (Sandy Allen)
A Kind of Mirraculas Paradise: A True Story About Schizophrenia
22
Sandy Allen
Lights On, Rats Out (Cree Lefavour)
Lights On, Rats Out
23
Cree Lefavour
Lit (Mary Karr)
Lit
24
Mary Karr
Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia (Amanda Lapera)
Losing Dad, Paranoid Schizophrenia
25
Amanda Lapera
In the Loud House of Myself (Stacy Pershall)
In the Loud House of Myself
26
Stacy Pershall
The Man Who Couldn't Stop (David Adam)
The Man Who Couldn't Stop
27
David Adam
Manic: A Memoir (Terri Cheney)
Manic: A Memoir
28
Terri Cheney
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me (Ellen Forney)
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
29
Ellen Forney
Mean (Myriam Gurba)
Mean
30
Myriam Gurba
Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing My Mind (Jaime Lowe)
Mental: Lithium, Love, and Losing My Mind
31
Jaime Lowe
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind (Scott Stossel)
My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind
32
Scott Stossel
My Body Is a Book of Rules (Elissa Washuta)
My Body Is a Book of Rules
33
Elissa Washuta
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness (Kabi Nagata)
My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness
34
Kabi Nagata
The Noonday Demon (Andrew Solomon)
The Noonday Demon
35
Andrew Solomon
Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Memoir of Bulimia (Stephanie Covington Armstrong)
Not All Black Girls Know How to Eat: A Memoir of Bulimia
36
Stephanie Covington Armstrong
Prozac Nation (Elizabeth Wurtzel)
Prozac Nation
37
Elizabeth Wurtzel
The Quiet Room (Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett)
The Quiet Room
38
Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett
Running With Scissors (Augusten Burroughs)
Running With Scissors
39
Augusten Burroughs
Shadows in the Sun: Healing From Depression and Finding the Light Within (Gayathri Ramprasad)
Shadows in the Sun: Healing From Depression and Finding the Light Within
40
Gayathri Ramprasad
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