Books Like...
If you liked Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness, here are the top 100 books to read next:
A thorough, compassionate journey through the landscape of depression - equal parts memoir, research, and cultural analysis. Not a quick pick-me-up, but highly recommended for anyone wanting to truly understand depression, from the inside out.
Depression is the flaw in love. To be creatures who love, we must be creatures who can despair at what we lose, and depression is the mechanism of that despair. When it comes, it degrades one’s self a...A raw, eye-opening memoir - equal parts clinical insight and personal vulnerability. Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding bipolar disorder more intimately, but your mileage may vary if you’re hoping for a broader, less privileged perspective.
I was standing with my head back, one pigtail caught between my teeth, listening to the jet overhead. The noise was loud, unusually so, which meant that it was close. My elementary school was near And...- #3
Save:A compassionate, readable memoir about living through depression and anxiety - best suited to those who crave empathy and understanding over medical advice. Not a cure-all, but a genuinely hopeful companion for dark times.
I HAD GONE days without proper food. I hadn’t noticed the hunger because of all the other crazy stuff that was happening to my body and brain. Andrea told me I needed to eat. She went to the fridge an... - #4
Save:A brutally honest classic that nails what it feels like to be young, bright, and mentally ill - but it’s not a light or universally relatable read. Essential for some, exhausting for others.
I start to get the feeling that something is really wrong. Like all the drugs put together—the lithium, the Prozac, the desipramine, and Desyrel that I take to sleep at night—can no longer combat what... A laugh-out-loud, feel-seen kind of book - raw, raucous, and real. Not for everyone, but a life-affirming pick-me-up for those who understand (or want to understand) that sometimes laughter is the only way through the dark.
And I thought, “Well, that’s … odd. But maybe someone returned them because they were stale or something?” And then I thought it was even odder that someone could realize that dog biscuits had gone st...- #6
Save:A fresh perspective on depression that challenges mainstream thinking - thought-provoking and full of hope, but more about shifting your understanding than providing quick-fix solutions.
Dr. John Haygarth was puzzled. All across the English city of Bath—and in several scattered pockets around the Western world—something extraordinary was happening. People who had been paralyzed with p... A vital, thought-provoking collection that challenges misconceptions and humanizes severe mental illness - insightful, well-researched, and deeply personal, even if it isn’t always an easy read.
Of the details reported about the murder of Malcoum Tate, a thirty-four-year-old man who was killed by his younger sister at the side of the road late at night while their mother waited in the car, mo...- #8
Save:Weird, hilarious, and unexpectedly heartfelt - this book is a rare graphic memoir that matches laugh-out-loud comedy with real emotional resonance. Worth it for the dog stories alone, but you’ll stay for the honest thoughts on being a not-quite-functioning adult. A cult classic for a reason!
To reiterate, no matter how much pepper you eat, it won’t undo the ludicrous amount of salt you ate before it. The only thing you are accomplishing by eating pepper is making your mouth taste like pep... - #9
Save:A heartfelt, darkly funny, and accessible take on teen depression - flawed, sometimes sugarcoated, but ultimately hopeful. Worth the read, especially if you appreciate honesty in mental health stories or want a conversation-starter YA novel.
It’s so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself. That’s above and beyond everything else, and it’s not a mental complaint—it’s a physical thing, like it’s physically hard to open your mouth and ma... - #10
Save:A brief but memorable memoir that challenges ideas about sanity, packed with sharp insights, poetic prose, and honest reflection - a must-read for anyone interested in the gray areas of mental health or the messy side of coming of age.
The worst was that she was always caught and dragged back, dirty, with wild eyes that had seen freedom. She would curse her captors, and even the tough old-timers had to laugh at the names she made up...
