Mental Health Bookclub discussion
General
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Introductions (optional!) :)
Aloha and Welcome Sarah! Glad you like the topics! I shall look for your book.
Aloha and Welcome Christabel! Check out our book selection. If you are looking for a certain book, please let me know.
Hello!My name is Mike Veny. I am a mental health advocate, speaker, and writer. I live with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. A critical part of my recovery has been reading books on mental health. I'm eager to add to my reading list and share what I have read.
Aloha and Welcome Mike! That is very courageous to have it and work in the field. If you do not mind, let me know what books they are.
Hey I'm Jillian, I have bipolar disorder an generalized anxiety disorder.I'm so glad I browsed the community to find this group. There's so many topics that I am looking forward to reading here.
I also look forward to the monthly theme reads.
Aloha and Welcome Jillian! Awesome to hear!
Hey everyone!I'm Lydia, 29 from Toronto Canada. I've been dealing with mental health issues ( bipolar type 2 depression and anxiety ) for 15 years. In December of 2016 I began a downward spiral into a deep depression with my anxiety being at it's peak. The past year has been a real learning adventure, I try to look at the downward spiral as just that, a learning opportunity. Although I had to go back on medication after years of being off, and feel like I'm literally restarting in life ( had to downgrade my lifestyle dramatically and basically am starting from scratch) it's lead me to searching for others who are struggling with the same issues as me. I hope I can add value and support to this group!
Aloha and Welcome Lydia! You truly have added by opening up. I struggle with that. Kudos!
Hello, all! I'm Cassie Kelley. I'm an author whose focus is on writing about mental illness. My project is called '9 Ways to Normal' and the theme is 'Nobody's normal.'I'm severely bipolar and I have Asperger's. I try to make my writing as realistic as possible, so it can be accurate.
Aloha and Welcome Cassie! Good luck on your project!
Hi! I'm Emma, 21, from Upstate NY! I'm a University student and a bookseller at a locally-owned book store. I've dealt with trauma, anxiety, and depression for most of my life, but I've come a long way, and keeping busy certainly helps me keep myself in a good path! As I'm sure everyone has, I have my ups and downs, but I try to focus on the positive. Reading has always been an outlet for me, but my family doesn't read a lot, so hopefully joining this group will give me some people to talk to about some really great books.
Aloha and Welcome Emma! Good luvk on your healing journey!If you ever have any questions or suggestions just let us know.
Hi All!I'm Rachel (pronounced Rah-Kel) Adiyah (Adiyah is not my last name, so you can call me either Rachel, Rachel Adiyah, or R.A. if gets too much). I come from the near suburbs of Philadelphia. I have Bipolar Disorder II and PTSD. It hasn't stopped me from getting a master's degree or having worked for the PA Civil Service in the past.
I'm a Licensed Social Worker in my state. I love reading and writing science fiction, studying history, and music of many genres. I love my two cats, Morris and Galit, more than anything in the world.
This is not a good day for me, but when I'm better I'll be a lot more fun, I promise.
Rachel Adiyah wrote: "Hi All!I'm Rachel (pronounced Rah-Kel) Adiyah (Adiyah is not my last name, so you can call me either Rachel, Rachel Adiyah, or R.A. if gets too much). I come from the near suburbs of Philadelphia..."
Aloha and Welcome! If you need someone to talk, we are here. Mahalo for sharing and Kudos with your masters! If I may ask, it seems like getting the master degree was hard. Am I off?
RM(Alwaysdaddygirl/Salemwitch) wrote: "Rachel Adiyah wrote: "Hi All!I'm Rachel (pronounced Rah-Kel) Adiyah (Adiyah is not my last name, so you can call me either Rachel, Rachel Adiyah, or R.A. if gets too much). I come from the near s..."
Actually, the academic part of the master's degree was fine. The part that was difficult was securing internships in the Philadelphia area, where the market is saturated with MSW candidates from Penn, Bryn Mawr, Temple, West Chester, and a ton of smaller colleges. My degree was granted by the Edinboro University of PA, a state university in Erie County. Nobody's ever heard of it, here. It's an eight hour drive and on the direct opposite side of the state.
I had to get one internship in Allentown, which was a long drive; to get my third I had to move to Erie, PA. Why a third? Because in my second internship, which was in Philadelphia, I was the victim of reverse racism by my supervisor and she almost got me expelled from my MSW program. I don't even really want to go into it simply because I almost lost everything and I did nothing wrong; my supervisor there would tell me one thing, then the opposite, then tell me to do something, then make it impossible to do, and when I tried to explain that I was a student, she told me that I should have the knowledge and experience of a fully graduated social worker, which IS NOT TRUE.
This woman literally put obstacles in the way of my internship; for example, at first she said my civil service experience made me a great resource, then she FORBADE any one from asking me about it, and when I offered my help to another intern who was dealing with a problem that I used to deal with all the time in my civil service position she became terrified and started yelling "no" to me. It was a horrible nightmare.
As a student I did very well, but there are some really some horrible bosses out there. Unfortunately, when you're prejudiced against, and treated very unfairly, and you have mental illness and a psychological disorder, things can just become very dark in your mind. It was a fight to go there, and stay there; and now I can't even use it as a reference, grade, or anything. We used to have telephone meetings with my superiors at Edinboro, and they were very quick to believe her but disbelieve me. It was so unreal.
Mod
Hugs.
Di wrote: "Absolutely hate when people in power abuse students (we are lowest on the academic food chain afterall!) . Hope everything is better now. Hugs."
Thank you for being kind! Hugs, back!
Rachel Adiyah wrote: "RM(Alwaysdaddygirl/Salemwitch) wrote: "Rachel Adiyah wrote: "Hi All!I'm Rachel (pronounced Rah-Kel) Adiyah (Adiyah is not my last name, so you can call me either Rachel, Rachel Adiyah, or R.A. if..."
My apologizes. I did not mean to open a can of worms. Mahalo for sharing what you did and your journey! It screw up how there are those folks like that. It even more screws up how common you hear of injustice. You never gave up. Kudos to you!
Hi, new friends. Just joined within the last couple weeks and now I finally have time to explore this group. My particular interest is in PTSD but I seem to be surrounded by MH issues of every variety. And I don't exclude myself! My interest in PTSD, however, has grown since discovering at a late age that my father had struggled--to put it mildly--with PTSD for 52 before his diagnosis and subsequent treatment program. When you are 52 years old and your 78-year old dad reveals all the truths you had never known, or that he hadn't understood, it comes as a great shock.His PTSD arose after his service in the Korean War. His secrets included almost-daily nightmares, night fights in which he threw punches at my mother in bed in order to fend off his "attackers" (in the dreams), suicide attempts, and all of the self-loathing that comes from believing you are crazy, weak, and useless. He hadn't known this was PTSD or that it was even related to his service until, in the 50th year, his dreams revealed the connection to the war. Two years later, he was finally diagnosed and began a slow but successful recovery. About six years after that, he shared his unbelievable story with me. In the span of about two hours, I felt that I had a new father--someone I had never known.
I have written a book about his amazing and inspiring story. I'll share the details in the Author's Corner. In the meantime, thanks for having me. Looking forward to getting to know you all.
Robert wrote: "Hi, new friends. Just joined within the last couple weeks and now I finally have time to explore this group. My particular interest is in PTSD but I seem to be surrounded by MH issues of every vari..."Aloha and Welcome! Thanks to your dad for his service and you sharing his story! Veterans mean a lot to me. I look for your book.
I must have completely missed this .... so Hi everyone! And a double hello to RM. 🙋My name's Cheryl and I'm from Australia and I'd love to connect with any Aussies on here. I have Bipolar II with Major Depressive Disorder along with GAD and Social Anxiety Disorder which can be very severe at times. Looking back I've discovered I developed social anxiety in my teens and had symptoms of Bipolar II in my early 20's. I was originally diagnosed with severe PND when I had my first child at 26 and it followed after the birth of each of my 3 children. I was diagnosed with MDD after my 2nd child turned 1 and finally diagnosed with Bipolar at 36 after the birth of my 3rd. A change in depression medication brought on a manic rage episode which scared the shit out of me, especially with a 13 week old bub.
I also have other health problems with GORD, Diabetes 2, Hashimoto's Disease (thyroid) and I'm about to pass 8 years cancer free from cervical cancer. I celebrated my 40th with a hysterectomy. 😂
Book wise I love murder mysteries and horror and have just discovered a love of urban fantasy. My special loves however are short stories and novellas because they really suit my bipolar brain. I rediscovered my love of reading while being housebound and have read over 700 books in the last 2 years!! Unfortunately I'm in a bit of a slump due to stress this year but I'm plugging along.
Mod
Sending hugs from Estonia to Australia!
Cheryl wrote: "I must have completely missed this .... so Hi everyone! And a double hello to RM. 🙋My name's Cheryl and I'm from Australia and I'd love to connect with any Aussies on here. I have Bipolar II with..."
Kudos for surving that much and sharing! I hope your stress get better. Hugsie🤗🇺🇸
Thank you Di and RM. 💜
Hello! Ive just joined the group so this is my little intro!
I love reading and love making friends too so feel free to add me on here :-)
I have had OCD for a long time and am happy to have found a book club like this one. (Not that I want to spend all the time talking about OCD, it's just nice that groups like this exist!)
So hello everyone! And I look forward to spending some time in the group!
:-)
BookwormCleo wrote: "Hello! Ive just joined the group so this is my little intro!
I love reading and love making friends too so feel free to add me on here :-)
I have had OCD for a long time and am happy to have fo..."
Aloha and Welcome!
RM🇺🇸
hi!my name is Afrodite.
I love reading, it has always been my safe place, it has been away to escape reality and live in a fiction world.
I live with anxiety and depression that comes and goes, my family life is a mess, and I deal with suicide thoughts.
my favorite books to read is YA books about mental illnesses and romance.
I’m always open to chat with and get some new friends :))
Hello, My name is Arielle, I am Australian, I have anxiety and a fear of balloons and crowds. When I was nine I picked up an Enid Blyton book and fell in love then I started reading full on when I was 12-13 and reading just brings you into some other world and life. I love Goodreads for the fact you can write like this and I appreciate people for groups like this (thanks Book Crumpet). I hope that you all have a good day and have fun reading :)
Hi Arielle! Welcome .... and I'm Australian too. My intro is just down there 👇 a little. Feel free to friend me. 😺
hi everyone, this is my first time posting on a goodreads forum so please bear with me! loli’m 19, texan, & i deal with depression and very... let’s say... iffy... eating habits. used to fight with general anxiety but i’ve (mostly) gotten past that.
i’ve tried to start a bookclub with ppl i know irl so many times, but they always fizzle out. it will be nice to be a part of an active community for once! i tend to like fantasy novels & biographies, but i’ll read most anything. it’s nice to meet y’all! :)
Mod
Welcome, Arielle!
Maybe you would be interested in book that has a main character with agoraphobia? In that case check out
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn.
Welcome, Sarah!
Eating disorders will be our focus group reads in november and december and depression in october, so stay tuned! For depression check out our bookshelf recommendations here
Hi Jalesa & welcome!
Greetings,Name is Jeffrey Hatcher. Nice to meet you all.
My own personal writing focus and medical affliction has been epilepsy. Doctors have been loathe to call it a mental illness. In my work experience, this reticence is ill advised, hence that's what I have written about. The extent to which it could be considered a mental illness depends upon the immediate life circumstance much of the time. Sometimes it is and sometimes it noticeably is not one. However, not calling it one, in my view, is as much a passport for the psychological community to avoid us as it is to prevent stigmatization. Hence my politically incorrect view.
I am no longer actually writing about health, but I am up to reading more when I get through my backlog of other genres. I am venturing into writing about sci-fi and horror, but I haven't mapped out my life much in this regard. I would love to here about what people find attractive.
Best to all.
Aloha and Welcome Folks!
Hi, my name is Nixon and I'm 21.So I have Anxiety and Depression which has, lately, been not too bad. That may have something to do with me coming out as Transgender (female to male, male pronouns please) last year and starting Hormone Therapy in December, but I still have my bad days. It's hard in general, and for all my mum also has Anxiety and Depression, she doesn't seem to understand when I have my low days or feel uneasy about things and to me that makes these days worse. She doesn't realise it doesn't help.
Moving on; I read a mix of books including young adult, fantasy/paranormal, and MxM Romance/Erotica, but for me I need a realistic twist. Perfect characters, to me, don't exist, unless they are perfect in their own way. If I'm reading a Fantasy novel I need a touch of realism whether it be a character with a mental illness, bad past, learning difficulties etc. Also, in my spare time I do my own writing which I like to keep quite dark and realistic although they do tend to have a supernatural/fantasy twist.
Um, not sure what else to say... Thank you for allowing me into the group.
Hi everyone my name is Katie I am from England. I have had mental health issues in the past and this has left me friendless :( I am really starting to try to make friends but it's hard for me. I'm not very good at keeping them. Anyway, I'm 24, I love animals, 'adult' colouring, of course reading, travelling, day trips, Skegness, rock music, youtube.
I would love to meet some people who are into similar things and live in the uk
Hi Katie! Welcome. I'm from Australia and I love adult colouring too although I haven't done much this year due to illness.
Aloha and Welcome NIxon and Katie! Thank you both for sharing!
Hi, I'm Kaleria. I struggle with mental illness and enjoy reading about others facing such things from time to time. I figure this group might show me to some new books and provide some interesting discussions. I tend to gravitate towards fiction, memoir, and fantasy/adventure when i read stories, and then to non-fiction when I'm in a researching mode. I enjoy poetry, but I prefer to listen instead of read it.
I'm not entirely sure how communities work here on Goodreads, but I'm hoping to learn and explore the parts of this site that exist beyond the 'bookshelves'.
:)
Mental Health Bookclub
Books mentioned in this topic
Mental Health Coloring Book: 100 Pages of Mental Health Designs (other topics)Teen Grief Workbook: 70 Worksheets, Educational Handouts, and Activity Prompts to Process Grief and Promote Healing (other topics)
Therapeutic Art Workbook: 100 Therapeutic art worksheets, prompts, and activities to promote personal development, self-exploration, and growth (other topics)
80 Grounding Techniques for Teens & Young Adults (other topics)
Depression: Cured at Last! (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sherry A. Rogers (other topics)Manjai Arun (other topics)
Topher Edwards (other topics)
Mark Matthews (other topics)
Mark Matthews (other topics)
More...
I am excited to have found such a meaningful group, as I have worked with trauma kiddos for most of my career (mostly clinical/hospital) and recently wrote a YA novel to help them process their experiences. I appreciate, personally and professionally, how long and courageous the journey towards healing is. Trauma is part of the human experience for most of us and I hope that platforms like these can help re-empower those backgrounds into something influential. There is something powerful about using storytelling/reading to rewrite the narrative of scary experiences. I look forward to reading along and being exposed to new material! Love the monthly topics :)