You're not alone. Check out some books, ebooks, and eaudiobooks to learn about mental health and connect with fictional characters who are going through a variety of issues.
the unapologetic guide to Black Mental health, rheeda walker, phd
"An unapologetic exploration of the Black mental health crisis--and a comprehensive road map to getting the care you deserve in an unequal system. We can't deny it any longer: there is a Black mental health crisis in our world today. Black people die at disproportionately high rates due to chronic illness, suffer from poverty, under-education, and the effects of racism. This book is an exploration of Black mental health in today's world, the forces that have undermined mental health progress for African Americans, and what needs to happen for African Americans to heal psychological distress, find community, and undo years of stigma and marginalization in order to access effective mental health care. In 'The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health', psychologist and African American mental health expert Rheeda Walker offers important information on the mental health crisis in the Black community, how to combat stigma, spot potential mental illness, how to practice emotional wellness, and how to get the best care possible in system steeped in racial bias."--Publisher description
Visit the library website for the eBook.
baby & solo, lisabeth posthuma
"Joel's new job at the video store is just what the therapist ordered. But what happens if the first true friend he's made in years finds out about What Was Wrong With Him? Seventeen-year-old Joel Teague has a new prescription from his therapist--a part-time job--the first step toward the elusive Normal life he's been so desperate to live ever since The Bad Thing happened. Lucky for Joel, ROYO Video is hiring. It's the perfect fresh start--Joel even gets a new name. Dubbed "Solo" after his favorite Star Wars character, Joel works his way up the not-so-corporate ladder without anyone suspecting What Was Wrong With Him. That is, until he befriends Nicole "Baby" Palmer, a smart-mouthed coworker with a chip on her shoulder about . . . well, everything, and the two quickly develop the kind of friendship movie montages are made of. However, when Joel's past inevitably catches up with him, he's forced to choose between preserving his new blank slate persona and coming clean--and either way, he risks losing the first real friend he's ever had. Set in a pop-culture-rich 1990s, this remarkable story tackles challenging and timely themes with huge doses of wit, power, and heart."--Publisher description
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the memory of light, francisco X. Stork
“When Victoria Cruz wakes up in the psychiatric ward of a Texas hospital after her failed suicide attempt, she still has no desire to live, but as the weeks pass, and she meets Dr. Desai and three of the other patients, she begins to reflect on the reasons why she feels like a loser compared with the rest of her family, and to see a path ahead where she can make a life of her own."
Visit the library website for the eBook.
darius the great is not okay, adib khorram
"Darius Kellner speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's a Fractional Persian--half, his mom's side--and his first-ever trip to Iran is about to change his life. Darius has never really fit in at home, and he's sure things are going to be the same in Iran. His clinical depression doesn't exactly help matters, and trying to explain his medication to his grandparents only makes things harder. Then Darius meets Sohrab, the boy next door, and everything changes. Soon, they're spending their days together, playing soccer, eating faludeh, and talking for hours on a secret rooftop overlooking the city's skyline. Sohrab calls him Darioush--the original Persian version of his name--and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab."--Publisher description
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logged in and stressed out: how social media is affecting your mental health and what you can do about it, paula durlofsky, Phd
"America is facing a mental health crisis. Studies show that the average American is spending more than ten hours a day in front of their screens, suicide rates are at an all-time high, and mental health professionals are working hard to address social media's role in this epidemic. Social media can sometimes feel like an unpredictable roller coaster ride. One's mood can swing from elated after getting a slew of 'likes' on a post to worthlessness and deflation in response to being criticized in a comment thread. Too often, bad feelings from social media interactions linger, negatively affecting our off-line lives and worsening already present mental health issues. Instead of demonizing social media by taking a one-note, 'digital detox' approach, 'Logged In and Stressed Out' recognizes social media is not, itself, the problem--it's how we use it that needs examining. Paula Durlofsky guides readers through its impact on breakups and infidelities, social distortion and comparison, trauma and triggers, social media binging, depression, anxiety, and other common concerns, using real stories from her own practice to personalize concepts and recommendations. By setting needed limits and embracing new practices, it is possible to improve mental health when using social media. Durlofsky details the whys and hows of creating a safe digital space, cultivating digital and social media mindfulness, applying the techniques of mentalizing while consuming social media, and decreasing social media and digital reactivity. She offers suggestions for how to use social media an digital technology to create meaningful social interactions and positive mental health, and provides readers with practical steps to put these ideas into action."--Back cover
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what my bones know: a memoir of healing from complex trauma, stephanie foo
"Drawing on interviews with scientists and psychologists, and trying a variety of innovative therapies, the author, diagnosed with Complex PTSD--a condition that occurs when trauma happens continuously--investigates the little-understood science behind this disorder that has shaped her life."
Visit our website for the eAudiobook!