mental health

Hannah's life has been an emotional roller coaster. In her girlhood her mother was in and out of mental hospitals. When Hannah attempted suicide the summer after eighth grade, she found herself in the same situation. Over the next five years she engaged in dangerous behaviors: pill popping, excessive dieting, and cutting herself. She was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and now, with tools for coping, she lives her life one day at a time.

A twenty-nine-year-old accountant, wife, and mother, Rachel Reiland discovered she had borderline personality disorder after her discharge from a psychiatric ward. Her honesty in facing her mental illness prompted her to write a book so others would know what it feels like.

Why would anyone who's young be depressed in America? Elizabeth Wurtzel answers that question, and more, in a book that answers what it's like to suffer from clinical depression.

Asperger's is a mild form of autism and those who have it are socially awkward, have feelings of self-doubt, problems dealing with change, and managing their emotions. The author puts a human face on Asperger's syndrome and helps readers understand what it means to see the world through the prism of autism.

The summer before entering sixth grade, Sammy, who was bright and inquisitive, suddenly began to exhibit disturbing behavior. He walked with his eyes shut, refused to bathe, and used his limbs instead of his hands to touch doorknobs and faucets. Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive behavior (OCD), and later Tourette's Syndrome, Sammy slipped further from reality. But his mother refused to accept the diagnosis and her research took her to the medical community's raging debate whether mental illness can be caused by infection.

Elizabeth Wurtzel published her memoir of depression, Prozac Nation, to widespread literary acclaim. By age twenty-six she had everything she always wanted except happiness. Although professionally successful, she felt like a failure. She was unable to focus on anything. But when her doctor prescribed Ritalin she became a new person. The Ritalin worked so well it became the "sweetness in the days that have none". Soon she began grinding up the Ritalin, interspersed it with cocaine, and was on her way to drug addiction. In order to heal, she had to break free of her relationship with Ritalin and learn how to love life and herself.

A memoir by American poet and essayist Mary Karr in which the writer examines her struggles with alcoholism and a mental disorder, longing for a stable family life, and eventual discovery of religious faith and attainment of a sober lifestyle.

Explores the causes, treatment, and management of adolescent depression; and offers tips on dealing with the disorder both at school and at home.

Provides a firsthand account of what living with schizophrenia is like and includes information on the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of the disorder as well as advice on managing daily life.