Introductions (optional!) :)

[Collette.Heady]

Hey x thanks for the message - I guess it did make me creative. Tbh it threw me into internal panic so wanted to get this book out there to help people focus xxxx

[Collette.Heady]

Nice to hear you all

[Kerri]

Hi all, my name is Kerri. I've suffered with anxiety for most of my life (mainly social and health anxiety).

I've always loved reading (and writing). When at University I studied an English Literature degree where I got to read all the time for my studies. I also got accepted to complete a creative writing dissertation too which was a dream come true.

Reading and writing for me has always been a coping mechanism of mine to deal with my overthinking, anxious brain! It keeps me busy and distracted.

I have published a short, self help guide for parents to support children who suffer with anxiety or worry too much but I have also been told my many others that it has helped them too (adults).

I am currently working on my first novel (I've been working on it for years and finally feel confident enough to start talking about it). The main character is a girl who suffers with anxiety and panic attacks. My hope is that is provides comfort and support to those who suffer and awareness and understanding to those who don't so they can better support those of us who do!

It's not quite ready yet but I would love to share some of it with anyone who might be interested in reading it, feedback and support from those I am writing it for would be extremely helpful so do get in touch if you'd like to know more!

I also love Jay Shetty's Non Fiction self help book called 'Think Like a Monk'. If you're an overthinker, anxious person like me then you might enjoy and benefit from this book!

[Di]

Kerri wrote: "Hi all, my name is Kerri. I've suffered with anxiety for most of my life (mainly social and health anxiety).

I've always loved reading (and writing). When at University I studied an English Litera..."

Welcome,Kerri! You can find more beta readers if you talk about your book in a subfolder Author's corner.

[Di]

Pavan wrote: "Hello. I’m pavan and I’m 20 , I have chronic anxiety and bipolar which lead me to depression which made a addicted to pot and on the way in developing schizophrenia but good enough I recognised tha..."

Welcome, Pavan! Glad to see people turning their life for the better.

[Bridgette]

Hello everyone, happy to meet you! I'm a playwright, author, and book-lover who has lived with OCD (and probably a bit of generalized anxiety) all my life. I was glad to find this group, and I look forward to connecting with others and discovering new reads with mental health themes. I'm the author of The Twin Stars, a new YA fantasy novel featuring a protagonist with OCD. I've found that both reading and writing can be therapeutic, and I'm excited to continue with both!

[Di]

Bridgette wrote: "Hello everyone, happy to meet you! I'm a playwright, author, and book-lover who has lived with OCD (and probably a bit of generalized anxiety) all my life. I was glad to find this group, and I look..."

Welcome, Bridgette!

[Heather]

Hi everyone :)

I'm Heather, I'm originally from London and now live in Glasgow, Scotland. I'm a pop culture and disability awareness blogger who blogs about all things geeky, living with seven chronic illnesses and my love for beauty products. I'm a massive bookworm and regularly review books, with fantasy, science fiction, horror and urban fantasy being my favourite genres.

I have anxiety, depression, PTSD and compulsive skin picking also known as dermatillomania. I talk about all of these and my other health conditions openly on my blog Just Geeking By - http://geeking-by.net

And I'm on social media as justgeekingby, feel free to come say hi!

[Di]

Heather wrote: "Hi everyone :)

I'm Heather, I'm originally from London and now live in Glasgow, Scotland. I'm a pop culture and disability awareness blogger who blogs about all things geeky, living with seven chr..."

Welcome, Heather! Your blog is very informative about different health conditions you have. I noticed the vision part isn't completed yet. In theory, could you fix your vision with intraocular lens? I know it sounds scary, I myself almost had to have one but luckily one company agreed to do laser surgery so now i´m less of a blind bat.

[Rae]

Hello everyone.
I'm Rae and I recently started writing about my mental health in my personal blog (I've also written poetry as a sort of form of therapy - I find reading and writing are the best escapes to get me out of my own head).
Over the years I have collected a litany of diagnoses from depression to anxiety disorder to exercise bulimia to narcissist victim syndrome. I am currently waiting for my next assessment for my Asperger's diagnosis, a process that started back in May 2019.
I am currently on school holiday (a teacher, for my sins) and I struggle this time of year as pretty much all my relationships are work related - not a big fan of the regular socials as I find them too fake.)
Sorry for the long, self-indulgent intro!

[Rae]

Bre wrote: "Hey there, my names Breanna. I'm currently in recovery for an eating disorder and I've been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, depression, and body dysmorphic disorder. I enjoy nothing mo..."

Welcome Breanna!

[Rae]

Book Crumpet wrote: "**Yep, introductions! Please feel free to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself.**

So, to get the ball rolling: If you're here I want to thank you for joining and becoming a p..."

Thank you so much for starting this - great support network!

[Heather]

Di wrote: " I noticed the vision part isn't completed yet. In theory, could you fix your vision with intraocular lens? I know it sounds scary, I myself almost had to have one but luckily one company agreed to do laser surgery so now i´m less of a blind bat.
"

Hi Di,

Thanks for the warm welcome :) It's not something I've considered looking into, to be honest, and I'm not sure what is available to me due to my eyesight. I have very bad astigmatism as well as being -20 -20 short-sighted vision in both eyes. I don't know if laser surgery would be possible because of the astigmatism, or whether it would be able to correct my eyes enough.

Also, I have to admit that I'm extremely freaked out about the idea of having the surgery done because you need to remain conscious and can see what is happening. I've grown up with my eyesight the way it is and compared to the rest of my health conditions it doesn't affect my life as much.

[Di]

Heather wrote: "Di wrote: " I noticed the vision part isn't completed yet. In theory, could you fix your vision with intraocular lens? I know it sounds scary, I myself almost had to have one but luckily one compan..."

It is a surgery that freaks out most people. luckily for me, i just stared into some bright lights, then my vision turned very milky white (laser did its job), doctor applied pressure on eye (didn't see a thing. doctor removed extra tissue) and after operation i think it took half an hour to get vision back.

[Di]

Rae wrote: "Hello everyone.
I'm Rae and I recently started writing about my mental health in my personal blog (I've also written poetry as a sort of form of therapy - I find reading and writing are the best es..."

Welcome, Rae! Blogging and journaling really helped me too :D tho these days i´m bit shy to put anything online, so my small notebook has my secrets only :D

[BriarB]

Hello I’m Briar, 15, I use she/her pronouns. I’m an equestrian and I love most types of animals (except ladybugs). I do all sorts of crafts and arty stuff, recently been into knitting, paper making, and calligraphy.

[Di]

BriarB wrote: "Hello I’m Briar, 15, I use she/her pronouns. I’m an equestrian and I love most types of animals (except ladybugs). I do all sorts of crafts and arty stuff, recently been into knitting, paper making..."

Welcome, Briar! Calligraphy is awesome, too bad my scribbles are barely readable :D

[Di]

Archie wrote: "Hello people!

I’m glad to be in this group. I have dealt with depression and few other mental disorders in the past and overcame them successfully mostly by reading books on psychiatry and clinica..."

Welcome, Archie! Depression bookshelf is here. Also in December the group book will be depression themed.

[moreliaaa 🍒]

Hiiiii!!! My name is Sunni. I loveeee reading(mostly sad books) they are just so comforting to me lol. This past year has been hell. I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety.🥲 I’ve finally decided to get some help and I’ve seen improvement since🙏🏽. Anyways… I’m super excited to be apart of this club! Feel free to message me if y’all need someone to talk to!!! 🤝🫂💗

[[deleted user]]

hi loves <3
umm i'm mary, i'm 16, i loveee to read and write, colleen hoover and all the bright places are my reasons for being on this earth *sobs*
i- uh...yeah mental health stuff
um hmmm
we'll get to that eventually but for now i think i'm gonna keep it to myself
buttt, i'm super excited to be a part of this group! <3

[Di]

Welcome, Sunni and Mary!

[Rey]

Hi I go by three Names,Rey,Ender and Mushroom and my pronouns are she/They/it (nonbinary).Im 14 and was diagnosed with autism and anxiety a few years back.

I haven’t read a whole book for years until today!Im really proud of myself and hope to read more :))

[Jaimie]

Hello. I’m Jaimie. I struggle with depression, anxiety, Ed and depersonalization-derealization disorder. I struggle daily with my health issues and tend to shut people out a lot. I grew up abused and have issues with trusting people. I’m also asexual.

I never read until 7th grade. I had issues connecting the purpose of reading and how to read. My first book was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. After that I fell in love with reading. I read to escape and feel better.

I’m currently writing my first book in my free time. When I’m not doing any of those things I enjoy video games like Fortnite, Final Fantasy, Fallout, and Demon Souls. I also collect Harry Potter, vintage toys, and VHS tapes. I’m making a mock Blockbuster in my basement. I also enjoy woodworking and gardening. I’m a person of many hobbies. Add me if you ever want to play games online ❤️

[Di]

Rey wrote: "Hi I go by three Names,Rey,Ender and Mushroom and my pronouns are she/They/it (nonbinary).Im 14 and was diagnosed with autism and anxiety a few years back.

I haven’t read a whole book for years un..."

Welcome, Rey, Ender, Mushroom! I'm so happy for you finishing a book!

[Di]

Jaimie wrote: "Hello. I’m Jaimie. I struggle with depression, anxiety, Ed and depersonalization-derealization disorder. I struggle daily with my health issues and tend to shut people out a lot. I grew up abused a..."

Welcome, Jaimie! Demon souls, impressive. I heard it's not an easy game

[Bennett]

Hello! My name is Bennett. I am part of a plural system (in the sense that we have alters and consider ourselves multiple individuals in one body) I've been trying to find good mental health Goodreads groups, and this one looks promising! We have mental health issues, but we just figured we'd join to see what everything was about!

[Di]

Bennett wrote: "Hello! My name is Bennett. I am part of a plural system (in the sense that we have alters and consider ourselves multiple individuals in one body) I've been trying to find good mental health Goodre..."

Welcome, Bennett! Some books containing multiple personalities are on PTSD shelf:
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

I don't think any of them identified themselves as plural systems, so I'm sorry if these books don't apply to you.

[Adrienne]

Hello! I am Adie from the UK and have a passion for learning about psychology, Mental health and wellbeing due to lived experience. I enjoy connecting with others with similar interests and passions
My interests are sociology, psychology, Memoirs and am a super fan of DC comics, specifically Batman and the Joker

[Di]

Adrienne wrote: "Hello! I am Adie from the UK and have a passion for learning about psychology, Mental health and wellbeing due to lived experience. I enjoy connecting with others with similar interests and passion..."

Welcome, Adrienne! Take a look at our psychology and
biographies-memoirs shelf.

[Aiesha]

Kia Ora! My name is Aiesha. I’m from New Zealand. I’m diagnosed with BPD, depression, anxiety and PTSD. I don’t read often but when I do it’s always fictional books around mental illness. I only just joined this app and this group. I’m trying to read more this year, especially over the summer break before my final year of University. Most of the books I have been reading are all about high school kids and their struggles with mental illness, but I’m 22 and I find it a bit silly to be reading books aimed at teenagers. I’m hoping to find books about characters in a similar age group to me so I can relate more. I just want to find a sense of community, which is why I joined this group and hope to bond with people :)

[Di]

Aiesha wrote: "Kia Ora! My name is Aiesha. I’m from New Zealand. I’m diagnosed with BPD, depression, anxiety and PTSD. I don’t read often but when I do it’s always fictional books around mental illness. I only ju..."

Welcome, Aiesha!

Please take a look at mentioned topics in our bookshelf:
BPD
depression
anxiety
PTSD

Quite many books feature college age or adults as main characters.

[annabella]

hi I’m anna I’m a sucker for romance books <3 I literally can’t read something that doesn’t have romance. I love books that also show a characters mental health and how they persevere through it. I’m struggling with my own mental health so it always makes me smile when I see someone become a better version of themselves, even if they’re not real, they’re real to me :)

[Di]

anna wrote: "hi I’m anna I’m a sucker for romance books <3 I literally can’t read something that doesn’t have romance. I love books that also show a characters mental health and how they persevere through it. I..."

Welcome, Anna! Unfortunately there is no romance shelf yet on our bookshelf, but there is ya (young adult). Most of the times it has romance in it :)

[Harleen]

Hi! My name is Harleen and I'm from India. I am a mental health professional and I've been looking for a good mental health related book club for a while now . . So I'm extremely happy to be here :) Looking forward to all of the discussions and getting to know everyone here!

[Di]

Harleen wrote: "Hi! My name is Harleen and I'm from India. I am a mental health professional and I've been looking for a good mental health related book club for a while now . . So I'm extremely happy to be here :..."

Welcome, Harleen!

[Harleen]

Thank You! :)

[Advensve]

Hi, I'm Hope,
I recently started editing my first novel and I want to learn more about psychology. My main character has a mental trauma after spending her whole life in prison, and I want to present this in a unique way. Aside from my novel, I've always been interested in psychology and it's amazing facts. When I taught at school, the children loved to hear about themselves, about love, about the opposite sex. I think that the more we know about ourselves and others, we can be more delicate, understanding and good. At least that's my opinion. Thank you for your attention!

[Advensve]

So ... I didn't see a suitable topic anywhere, so I decided to write here. Can you recommend me a book about apathy?

[Rossa]

The Scenic Route: A Way through Madness
Hello, everyone,
I've been associated with Goodreads for quite a few years, but never found my way to this group until today. My passion for mental health was kickstarted when my son was diagnosed with schizophrenia at the age of 20. So, I wrote about our journey in the hopes of demystifying, destigmatizing, and to find a way to help my son achieve his considerable potential. Over the years I've devoured books that deal with the existential journey of schizophrenia (how about that Hermann Hesse or Daniel Paul Schreber, or even Carlos Castaneda?) The mainstream journey is simply too depressing and offers no real breakthroughs. I have a blog Holistic Recovery from Schizophrenia that I attended to for many years until I ran out of good ideas! https://rossaforbes.com/can-pan-panda... The journey continues for me and my son. I intend to provide the occasional updates to the blog because I think, hope against hope, that maybe we're finally on to something.

[Di]

Advensve wrote: "Hi, I'm Hope,
I recently started editing my first novel and I want to learn more about psychology. My main character has a mental trauma after spending her whole life in prison, and I want to prese..."

Welcome, Hope! Maybe you would be interested in our PTSD bookshelf
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

[Di]

Rossa wrote: "The Scenic Route: A Way through Madness
Hello, everyone,
I've been associated with Goodreads for quite a few years, but never found my way to this group until today. My passion for..."

Welcome, Rossa!

[Daniele]

Hi, my name is Daniele, I am a clinical psychologist, public health manager and author of books on mental health.

This is my last project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...

[danielle ☮️]

Hi! My name is Danielle ✌🏻

I love reading and have just picked it back up after years of not being able to because of symptoms from my schizoaffective disorder. I’m so happy that with therapy and medication I’m in a better place, and I am able to enjoy books like I used to. I’m hoping to make friends here who also love to read as much as I do!

My favourite genres are horror, contemporary, fiction, historical fiction and classics

[Melon]

Hi folks! You can just call me Melon. I am a clinical mental health counselor in training and I have major depressive disorder (my only official diagnosis, though I, of course, experience other symptoms of other things). I came here for the community and to get more book recs!

[Di]

Daniele wrote: "Hi, my name is Daniele, I am a clinical psychologist, public health manager and author of books on mental health.

This is my last project:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/......"


Welcome, Daniele!

[Di]

danielle ☮️ wrote: "Hi! My name is Danielle ✌🏻

I love reading and have just picked it back up after years of not being able to because of symptoms from my schizoaffective disorder. I’m so happy that with therapy and ..."

Welcome, Danielle! So glad you found your way back to wonderful books!

[Di]

Merlyn wrote: "Hi folks! You can just call me Melon. I am a clinical mental health counselor in training and I have major depressive disorder (my only official diagnosis, though I, of course, experience other sym..."

Welcome, Melon! Looking forward to your book reviews from counselors perspective!

[Luis]

Hello Everyone.
I'm Luis Trivino I am American Indian/Hispanic, a War Veteran, Father and Husband.
My wife has Border Line Personality disorder (BPD), PTSD, Depression and Anxiety. I suffer from PTSD and Bipolar I. My wife went through some delusional states when she had a change in her medicines, the stress of trauma therapy and anxiety all took hold of her at once causing a BPD Split. During this whole phase she asked how I could love her and be married to someone "So broken?".
In response during a Bipolar manic while trying to control and avoid my PTSD triggers I wrote a book in 23 hours detailing all of my traumas and how I strive to work at being normal since I was a child. My wife said we have a "Notebook of Love" so I write in hopes my notebook of love will bring her back to reality. That's why it is titled as "A Notebook of Love: My story on Mental Health".
I write it from a Male perspective. We men grow up as young boys being told "Be strong, be a man". When we run into stressful situations we lack the tools to solve problems. In turn it affects our mental well being, our relationships, and leads to violence, addiction and the list can go on. Simply because we are being dismissed as "He is a man, he will figure it out". because if this mentality are men be a a major issue in relationships? Is being a man another way of saying he is a narcissist?
As I go through my whole story from my beginning to my present I detail everything with my self analysis and exercises I have learned to "Be normal". With all of this I wish to promote the decriminalization of any mental illness, encourage men to make their mental health a priority to better ourselves, our relationships and community.

In order to break the stigma we have to bring it all into the open, including us men.

Thank you

Luis

[Ron]

Hey everyone. I stumbled across this place looking for communities under the title 'mental health'. After checking it out I figured why not.

You all can call me Ron (She.- I was born with a gender-neutral name).

I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Severe Depression when I was 19. It wasn't until I was 27 that I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 Disorder. I'm 33 by the way.

TW: I did use to self-harm. I haven't done it in 4 years so that's an accomplishment but every time I feel low or something goes bad it's my first instinct.

BD1 is still an illness I have a hard time accepting. Every day I complain about taking my medication. I just don't like taking it. Even though it keeps me stable I miss the mania a lot.

The depression and GAD are ones I've come to terms with. My reason is that I've just had a lot longer to deal with those. Longer even. As a teenager, I used to tell people "there's something wrong with my brain" (my exact words). Of course no one believed me or thought to look into it. I mean seriously, what kid knows how to describe mental illness, especially if they know something is off but can't pinpoint what it is exactly?

I'm an avid reader and I am always trying to find books on MH.

I look forward to chatting with you all on a topic that is dear to my heart. I always talk about it, sometimes some would say obsessively, but that's because I feel it's worth being talked about. You'd think in our time it would be less stigmatized but unfortunately, that's not the case.

I often make jokes about my illnesses as well but that makes people uncomfortable. It's just my coping mechanism but people don't understand it- another stigma that I strongly believe surrounds the MH community, but one that doesn't get talked about as often.

See you all around!

[Luis]

This awesome !! I made this post 19 days ago, many people have viewed but not posted. I believe Breaking the stigma means we all have to be open and accepting to any mental illness (AMI). Tha k you for your post.

Luis