I’m forever looking for books, both fiction and non-fiction about mental health that I can either relate to or take something from. It’s always quite a task to find books tailored to specific mental illnesses and so I am creating this series to eventually try and encompass every mental illness making the whole process a lot easier for you guys!
For each book I mention I will include a key which will highlight the mental illnesses covered in each making finding and selecting something relevant to you and your situation a lot easier (hopefully!).
For the first instalment we have a few that are largely trauma focused with the exception of The Inside Scoop On Eating Disorders although it can be argued that EDs are quite often the result of trauma and the minds way of coping.
Mental Health Bookshelf 01
The Inside Scoop on Eating Disorders by Colleen Reichman & Jennifer Rollin
Anorexia | Bulimia | Binge Eating Disorder (BED) | Orthorexia
“The inside scoop on eating disorder recovery is a fresh, smart, how to book that helps people with eating disorders to heal their relationship with food their bodies and ultimately themselves.
written from the perspective of to eating disorder therapists both of whom are recovered from their own eating disorders the text uses humour personal narratives and research proven techniques to offer specific actionable guidelines on how to reclaim one’s life from an eating disorder. The authors explain the difference between dieting and eating disorders, breakdown the stages of recovery, and provide tips on how to thrive in each stage. The book provides powerful myth busting on topics that have historically not been addressed and eating disorder recovery books, such as clean eating and author Axya, exercising in recovery, and fat positivity. Tangible exercises at the end of each chapter provide readers with advice and tips on implementing this approach to recovery in their day-to-day lives.
The humerus and down-to-earth tone of the book creates an authentic and genuine feel that leave those who struggle with chronic dieting eating disorders and negative body image feeling connected and heard.”
Colleen Reichman and Jennifer Rollin are named one of the top eating disorder specialists in the US. They get it from a scientific perspective, and they get it because they’ve been there themsleves. Their combined lived experience with eating disorders gives The Inside Scoop On Eating Disorder Recovery an edge others do not have; it provides a map on how to navigate a world full of triggers and aid recovery from all types of eating disorder.
Colleen Reichmann, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist residing in Philadelphia, PA. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and has been named as one of the top eating disorder experts in the country.
Jennifer Rollin, MSW, LCSW-C, is an eating disorder therapist and founder of The Eating Disorder Center. She has been interviewed speaking about eating disorders on ABC, NBC, PBS, and Fox. She has been named as one of the top eating disorder experts in the country.
Click here to by The Inside Scoop On Eating Disorder Recovery.
Building a Life Worth Living by Marsha Linehan
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)/ Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD) | Suicidal Ideation | Self Harm
“ over the years, dialectical behaviour therapy has saved the lives of countless people fighting depression and suicidal thoughts, but for years Marsha Linehan, a pioneer in this cutting edge field, never revealed that her work was inspired by her own desperate struggles as a young woman.
When Linehan was 18 years old, she began an abrupt downward spiral, from popular teenager to suicidal young woman. After several deeply challenging years in a psychiatric institute, Linehan made a vow that if she could get out of emotional health, should find a way to help others get out of hell too. She put herself through night school and college, living at the YWCA and often scraping together spare change to buy food, and went to get her PhD in psychology, specialising in behavioural therapy. In the 1980s, she achieved breakthrough when she develops dialectical behaviour therapy, a new therapeutic approach the combined acceptance of the self and specific ways to change
Throughout her extraordinary career in science, Marsha Linehan remained a woman of deep spirituality. she shows, in building a life worth living, how the principles of DBT really work – and how, using her life skills and techniques, people can build lives worth living.”
Marsha Linehan is the GOAT of creating the leading treatment, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for Borderline Personality Disorder/ Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. She is a lifesaver – it’s a simple as that. This book follows Marsha through her diagnosis with BPD/EUPD and her time in a Psychiatric Hospital. While this is not quite the same as her more proactive DBT workbooks, this book provides solace for many suffering with this debilitating illness in that even in the darkest of times – you are still able to work towards building a life worth living. DBT has been the leading treatment proven to work for a while now, being adapted to aid treatment in other illnesses such as Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, Psychosis and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Click here to buy Building a Life Worth Living.
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
PTSD | C-PTSD | Trauma in general
“ an authoritative guide to the effects of trauma, and pathways to recovery. This book is full of wisdom, humanity, compassion and scientific insight, gleaned from a lifetime of clinical service, research and scholarship in the field of traumatic stress. Must read for mental health and other healthcare professionals, trauma survivors, their loved ones, and those who seek clinical, social, or political solutions to the cycle of trauma and violence in our society.”
This the bible of trauma; it somehow makes everything make sense inside the chaos of a mind that is overthrown with trauma and provides clinically accurate explanations of the affects of trauma on the human mind and body. It is completely in its own realm of importance and I personally don’t think any book could come close to the sense and clarity this book provides. While it won’t necessarily help with treating trauma, it does untangle a lot of things and provides a base to begin understanding.
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