Big Books of 2026

Listopia > Depression Book Lists

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank1984 by George OrwellThe Road by Cormac McCarthyA Story of Yesterday by Sergio CoboNight by Elie Wiesel
Most Depressing Book of All Time
1,241 books — 3,908 voters
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyAll the Bright Places by Jennifer NivenThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherIt's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned VizziniSpeak by Laurie Halse Anderson
YA involving mental health issues (2000-present)
491 books — 1,041 voters

Finding Zach by Rowan SpeedwellBetween Sinners and Saints by Marie SextonZero at the Bone by Jane SevilleTouch Me Gently by J.R. LovelessShades of Gray by Brooke McKinley
Best Gay Romance with Abused/Traumatized Characters
824 books — 887 voters
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyIt's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned VizziniAll the Bright Places by Jennifer NivenSpeak by Laurie Halse Anderson
YA Books About/Mentioning Depression, Self-Harm And Suicide
318 books — 832 voters

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned VizziniThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken KeseyCut by Patricia McCormickVeronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
Fictional Mental Hospital Novels
259 books — 771 voters
The Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyGirl, Interrupted by Susanna KaysenThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Borderline Personality Disorder, Insanity, and related issues
537 books — 734 voters

The Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathDarkness Visible by William StyronThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyThe Noonday Demon by Andrew SolomonThe Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Books Worth Reading on Depression (fiction and nonfiction)
464 books — 542 voters
The Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherGirl, Interrupted by Susanna KaysenThe Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Depression and Mental Illness
561 books — 486 voters

Puddle Jumping by Amber L. JohnsonThe Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanReclaiming the Sand by A. Meredith WaltersThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark HaddonReal by Katy Evans
Characters with mental illnesses or learning disabilites
512 books — 449 voters
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathVincent by Joseph FasanoThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherJanuary First by Michael Schofield
Great Reads About Mental Health
364 books — 410 voters

Devil in Winter by Lisa KleypasArcher's Voice by Mia SheridanThe Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer AshleyAnnie's Song by Catherine AndersonNever Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks
romance where hero/heroine have a disability
526 books — 383 voters
Running with Scissors by Augusten BurroughsInto the Wild by Jon KrakauerLeaving Isn't the Hardest Thing by Lauren HoughGirl, Interrupted by Susanna KaysenProzac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
Unsettling Memoirs & Biographies
532 books — 378 voters

The Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathGirl, Interrupted by Susanna KaysenAn Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield JamisonThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins GilmanDarkness Visible by William Styron
Memoirs of Madness
294 books — 375 voters
5 Days FREE of Depression Anxiety and Panic Attacks by Rhonda PattonDetour from Normal by Ken DicksonEverything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. LeeNowhere Near Normal by Traci FoustWithout MAlice by Amesbury Clarke
Mental Health and Family
269 books — 316 voters

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. SalingerThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Best Mentally Ill Characters
268 books — 264 voters
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa MoshfeghThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathWe Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley JacksonThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins GilmanBunny by Mona Awad
The Female Malaise: She's Sad, Mad, and Bad
261 books — 227 voters

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeRules of Civility by Amor TowlesMemoirs of a Geisha by Arthur GoldenAtonement by Ian McEwanThe Color Purple by Alice Walker
Best 1930s Historical Fiction
124 books — 217 voters
The Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathGirl, Interrupted by Susanna KaysenAn Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield JamisonThe Prince of Tides by Pat ConroyThe Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Manic depression and bi-polar illness in literature
169 books — 199 voters

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi KleinThe New Jim Crow by Michelle AlexanderDark Money by Jane MayerManufacturing Consent by Edward S. HermanUnderstanding Power by Noam Chomsky
Corruption, Plutocracy, Oligarchy, Kleptocracy, Corporatocracy — The Problem (nonfiction)
711 books — 175 voters
Forbidden by Tabitha SuzumaLIAM by R. Janet WalravenWe Were Liars by E. LockhartThe Lovely Bones by Alice SeboldThe Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Books that punch life and happiness in the gut, and make the reader want to go to the nearest bridge over water and jump (but they don't, because that would be horrible)
234 books — 165 voters

Speak by Laurie Halse AndersonA Walk Between Raindrops by Amalie JahnThe Program by Suzanne YoungThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Best Mental Health Books for Teens
148 books — 157 voters
The Bad Guy by Celia AaronBlack Lies by Alessandra TorreMy Torin by K. WebsterEleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail HoneymanGrayson by Lisa Eugene
Heroes with mental illness
274 books — 154 voters

Never Seduce a Scot by Maya BanksSeduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa KleypasAgain the Magic by Lisa KleypasGarrett by Sawyer BennettWithout MAlice by Amesbury Clarke
Romances with Chronically Ill/Disabled Heroines
215 books — 145 voters
How to Hack Back Your Mind by Ramzi NajjarHow to Hack Back Your Mind by Ramzi NajjarThe Blindspots Between Us by Gleb TsipurskyAdapt and Plan for the New Abnormal of the COVID-19 Coronavir... by Gleb TsipurskyPro Truth by Gleb Tsipursky
Helpful For Life Transitions
116 books — 143 voters

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherCut by Patricia McCormickWintergirls by Laurie Halse AndersonSpeak by Laurie Halse AndersonScars by Cheryl Rainfield
Triggering Books
268 books — 138 voters
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherSpeak by Laurie Halse AndersonThe Lovely Bones by Alice SeboldA Child Called "It" by Dave PelzerBridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Depressing Novels
131 books — 128 voters

Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. LeeWithout MAlice by Amesbury ClarkeThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen ChboskyThirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherSpeak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Mental Illness and Disorders
174 books — 126 voters
Gut by Giulia EndersFed Up by Sophia ElanThe End of Alzheimer's by Dale E. BredesenUndoctored by William DavisThe Removable Root Cause of Cancers and other Chronic Diseases by Paul Ola
Healthy Aging
405 books — 122 voters

Hating Jesse Harmon by Robin MimnaThere's More Than One Way Home by Donna LevinThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark HaddonThe Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanFish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Books About Teenagers With Learning Difficulties
94 books — 110 voters
The Hate U Give by Angie ThomasThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky ChambersPride and Prejudice by Jane AustenThe Joy Luck Club by Amy TanBrave New World by Aldous Huxley
ATY 2020 - A Book with an Emotion in the Title
622 books — 108 voters

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