Mental Health Novels

Turtles All the Way Down Wintergirls Turtles All the Way Down Wintergirls is the story of eighteen-year-old Lia Overbrook, an anorexic cutter who loathes her body, her family, and her life. All these emotions are heightened when Lia's best friend Cassie, a bulimic, dies in a motel room after a long session of bingeing and purging. Before she died, Cassie called Lia 33 times for help, but Lia never picked up the phone. As the novel progresses, Lia spirals dangerously out of control and she must come to terms with her emotions if she wants to live Eating Disorder Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. Anxiety/Self-Harm

Dreamland Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime On Caitlin O'Koren's sixteenth birthday, her older sister runs away from home, thrusting Caitlin out of her sister's shadow and into a limelight she is unprepared to face. The story follows Caitlin through her sophomore year of high school as she tries to forge her own path in the absence of her parents' guidance, for they are trying to cope with her older sister's leaving, and in the presence of a new boyfriend, Rogerson, whose abusive behavior threatens to eclipse every other part of Caitlin's life. Her escape from her relationship with Rogerson opens her to the journey of discovering who she is in her own right. Abuse/Anxiety/Depression Christopher, a fifteen-year-old boy with an Autism spectrum condition, lives with his father; he explains that his mother, Judy, died two years ago. He discovers the dead body of Wellington, the neighbour's dog, speared by a garden fork. Mrs Shears, Wellington's owner, calls the police, and Christopher comes under suspicion. When a policeman touches him, he hits the policeman, and is arrested, then released with a police caution. He decides to investigate the dog's death, despite his father's orders to stay out of other people's business. He is severely limited by his fears and difficulties when interpreting the world around him. Throughout his adventures, Christopher records his experiences in a book: a "murder mystery novel". Autism

Willow Crazy Seven months ago on a rainy March night, Willow's parents drank too much wine at dinner and asked her to drive them home. But they never made it--Willow lost control of the car, and both of her parents were killed. Now seventeen, Willow is living with her older brother, who can barely speak to her. She has left behind her old home, friends, and school. But Willow has found a way to survive, to numb the new reality of her life: She is secretly cutting herself. And then she meets Guy, a boy as sensitive and complicated as she is. When Guy discovers Willow's secret, he pulls her out of the solitary world she's created for herself, and into a difficult, intense, and potentially life-changing relationship. Cutting Connor knows that Izzy will never fall in love with him the way he's fallen for her. But somehow he's been let into her crazy, exhilarating world and become her closest confidante. But the closer they get, the more Connor realizes that Izzy's highs are too high and her lows are too low. And the frenetic energy that makes her shine is starting to push her into a much darker place. As Izzy's behavior gets increasingly erratic and self-destructive, Connor gets increasingly desperate to stop her from plummeting. He knows he can't save her from her pain...but what if no one else can? Bi-polar

I Don’t Want to Be Crazy Life is But a Dream A harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl's struggle with anxiety disorder. This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities -- freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she revelled in the independence ... but as pressures increased , she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir. Sabrina, an artist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her parents check her into the Wellness Center. There she meets Alec, who is convinced it's the world that's crazy, not the two of them. They are meant to be together; they are special. But when Alec starts to convince Sabrina that her treatment will wipe out everything that makes her creative, she worries that she'll lose hold of her dreams and herself. Should she listen to her doctor? her decision may have fatal consequences.