Compilation: A Dozen Books on Depression/Anxiety

In thinking of Mental Health Awareness Month, I decided to provide a compilation of books on depression and anxiety. As stated before, I know this list will not be conclusive in any way. These are merely books I have read and reviewed (in chronological order). Perhaps you might find them helpful:

1. Poe's Heart and the Mountain Climber by Richard Restak, M.D. - non-fiction
2. Who Switched Off My Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf - non-fiction
3. The Chemistry of Joy by Dr. Henry Emmons - non-fiction
4. The Omega-3 Connection by Dr. Andrew Stoll - non-fiction
5. Beyond Blue by Therese J. Borchard - non-fiction
6. My Age of Anxiety by Scott Stossel - memoir
7. When We Collided by Emery Lord - YA novel
8. My Anxious Mind by Katherine A. Martinez and Michael A. Tompkins
9. The Power of Different by Gail Saltz, M.D. - non-fiction
10. Life Inside My Mind by 31 YA authors
11. Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb - non-fiction
12. Acedia and Me by Kathleen Norris - memoir

I think my favorite was the very first one, Poe's Heart and the Mountain Climber. I remember Bryce's comment after hearing me listen to it in the car on our drives back and forth to school. He remarked, "Anxiety, blah, blah, blah, anxiety, blah, blah, blah." I also highly recommended Lori Gottlieb's book, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. Some of these reads sprung from my battle with panic attacks and newfound anxiety. Others arose out of research for a young adult novel I wrote about a protagonist with paralyzing anxiety.

As several of these books attest, the presence of depression and anxiety does not automatically preclude usefulness. Indeed, in The Power of Different, Gail Saltz talks about how creative and productive individuals often battle anxiety and depression, and how it tends to drive their creativity. Kathleen Norris also identifies the spiritual benefits of traversing an emotional wasteland. Think of the many spiritual giants who have also struggled against melancholy temperaments: David and Elijah, Charles Spurgeon and Mother Theresa. Next up I would like to explore Companions in the Darkness: Seven Saints Who Struggled With Depression and Doubt by Diana Gruver. You can find an interesting interview with Gruver here. If you struggle with depression and anxiety, perhaps you, too, will go on to impact the world in a positive way despite your despair.