One piece of advice from successful writers is clear. You can’t be a writer unless you read. Constantly. When I was first diagnosed, I preferred to read memoirs written by people who battle mental illness. It didn’t matter what the diagnosis was; their story made me feel less alone.
In her beautiful essay about how books saved her life, Rebecca Solnit observed that “the object we call a book is not the real book, but its potential, like a musical score or seed.”
Memoirs on Mental Illness I Love – In No Particular Order
Darkness Visible by William Styron
When I read “Darkness Visible,” I was incredibly
moved by Mr. Styron’s words. I wrote to him telling how much it meant to me that he could also suffer from depression – and he wrote me back!
The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon
A tome about all aspects depression; The evidence-based realities of this psychiatric illness interspersed with Mr. Solomon’s own story of his severe depression – and his relationship with his father.
This Close To Happy: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin
I’ve been following Daphne’s writing about depression ever since her article “My Life in Therapy” was published in the NY Times Magazine in 2010. In 2016, I had the opportunity to take a one-time master class in memoir from her at Hunter College in Manhattan.
The Center Cannot Hold by Elyn Saks
Ms. Saks story and achievements are amazing. There’s a scene in the book forever embedded in my brain. It’s Ms. Sak’s last session with Mrs. Jones and she is clinging to a steam pipe. I was terrified that would be me.
Life Inside by Mindy Lewis
Prejudice Alert! A courageous and incredible memoir. I had the privilege of studying memoir with Mindy for two years. What I learned from her about the craft of writing has been invaluable.
Welcome To My Country by Lauren Slater
Ms. Slater’s writing is breathtaking; that she is a psychologist who struggled with mental illness feels as though I’m looking into a cracked mirror. An instructor encouraged me to reread There Spheres in Welcome to My Country as I was struggling with a piece. Once again, I was blown away.
An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison
Amazingly, bipolar disorder is one diagnosis I escaped. Regardless, An Unquiet Mind was stunning and I still took away hope that I had the strength to recover from my depression.
Undercurrents: A Life Beneath The Surface by Martha Manning
This is a little gem of a book. I read it and reread it, praying for myself to have the same happy ending Dr. Manning had from her unyielding depression. She is a clinical psychologist who writes about herself with dark humor and a sharp wit. I cried and I laughed repeatedly.