Hi all,
As you may already know, I’m a journalist whose main focus is mental health care. Not surprisingly perhaps, people tend to ask me questions to do with mental health — whether their own or someone else’s or their interactions with particular mental health care institutions.
The books and other resources I recommend to people wishing to learn more such topics tend to be fairly consistent. Therefore I thought I’d share some of them with you. I’m going to keep this list intentionally brief.
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Joanne Greenberg’s autobiographical novel from 1964 remains, in my opinion, one of the best renderings of mental illness/madness in literature. See also: The new Penguin edition includes a foreword by Esmé Weijun Wang (whose The Collected Schizophrenias I also recommend).
Mad in America
Pharma journalist Robert Whitaker’s groundbreaking book investigating the role that money plays in shaping our ideas about mental health. See also: his media organization of the same name, as well as his subsequent book, Anatomy of an Epidemic.
The Gene
A thorough examination of what’s known (and not) when it comes to the genetics of mental illness, by physician Siddhartha Mukherjee. Highly recommended to those wishing to deepen their knowledge of the science side of these issues.
The Hearing Voices Network
Non-clinical, non-judgmental peer support groups for those who’ve heard voices, seen visions or had other “unusual or extreme experiences.” You can find a group in your area or they’re also online.
The Wildflower Collective
An alternative mental health care infrastructure in Western Massachusetts that’s been created by people with “lived experience” (with mental illness/madness and / or receiving psychiatric treatment). The group offers trainings as well as online support groups and resources. I wrote about them in this piece for The Cut.
I do also recommend my first book as a way into these conversations.
If you want to hear an overview of some of my ideas about our mental health and how we might better care for ourselves, individually and collectively, listen to my interview on the TED podcast How to be a Better Human.
Check out this previous newsletter for some self-care focused recommendations.
Okay that’s it for now; I wanna go start some seeds. 🌱
Take care,
Sandy Ernest
p.s. What’s Helping Today lately: Beyoncé’s country tracks (also enjoyed this analysis of them).
p.p.s. Hey look I have a new website.
p.p.p.s. To send in a question for my advice-type column, write whatshelpingtoday@gmail.com
p.p.p.p.s. An urgent and powerful essay by Zaina Arafat.