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Sadness is something that every person experiences from time to time.
Some people, though, suffer from ongoing feelings of sadness and harmful thoughts. Millions of people experience this daily.
It’s no wonder, then, that there are so many books on dealing with depression. The best books for depression are those that can help the depressed population find some hope, ways to cope and feel like at least one person understands them.
But those struggling with depression aren’t the only ones who can and should read the best books for people with depression.
The Best Books to Read About Depression – Important for Everyone
Even people who aren’t struggling with depression can benefit from reading the best books to help deal with depression.
Friends and family members of those with depressive disorders should educate themselves on the illness their loved one is dealing with. The best books for depression are a good reminder that this is a physical illness – it’s not “all in their head.”
Learning about depression, regardless of whether they know someone with the illness or not, can build compassion and empathy. It will help them better understand when someone is dealing with particularly intense symptoms and give them insight as to how to support that person.
How People with Depression Benefit from Good Books for Depression
It’s estimated that over 16 million people struggle with a major depressive disorder in the U.S. – that’s nearly seven percent of the population. Millions more struggle with:
- Persistent depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Postpartum depression
- Seasonal depression
- Psychotic depression
The best books to read to help with depression will give readers insight into their illness. They’ll find comfort knowing that they aren’t alone in the struggle. And when they read the best books to get out of depression, they may be able to reduce some of their symptoms.
The Best Books for Depression: 35 Titles That Can Help Ease the Pain
For those who are looking for books to help deal with depression, the following titles are some of the top manuals on the topic.
Some are written by people who have suffered from various types of depression, including bipolar depression, major depression, and post-partum depression. Others are written by doctors and researchers who have made this topic their life’s work.
Readers will find that this list of the best books for depression contains fiction, memoir, and self-help titles. The books can provide comfort for teens and adults alike.
The Best Books to Read to Help with Depression
1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
2. He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter’s Quest to Know Him by Mimi Baird and Eve Claxton
3. Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness by Pete Earley
4. It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
6. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
7. Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
8. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by David D. Burns, MD
9. An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
10. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
11. The Upward Spiral by Alex Korb
12. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
13. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
14. Darkness Visible by William Styron
15. Looking for Alaska by John Green
16. Spark by John J. Ratey, MD
17. This Close to Happy: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin
18. Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in 7 Weeks; A Workbook for Managing Depression and Anxiety by Seth J. Gillihan
19. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
20. Unf*ck Your Brain: Using Science to Get over Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Freak-Outs, and Triggers by Faith G. Harper
21. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
22. The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience by Martin E. P. Seligman
23. Anti Depression: The Ultimate Guide to Understand and Cure Depression by Micheal Spangler
24. Long Walk Out of the Woods: A Physician’s Story of Addiction, Depression, Hope, and Recovery by Adam B. Hill
25. The Yoga Effect: A Proven Program for Depression and Anxiety by Holly Lebowitz Rossi and Liz Owen
26. Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink by Nita Sweeney
27. Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me: Depression in the First Person by Anna Mehler Paperny
28. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve: Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety, Depression, Trauma, and Autism by Stanley Rosenberg
29. Feeling Better: Beat Depression and Improve Your Relationships with Interpersonal Psychotherapy by Cindy Goodman Stulberg, DCS, CPsych and Ronald J. Frey, PhD, CPsych
30. Escaping the Rabbit Hole: My Journey Through Depression by Tracey Maxfield
31. The Inflamed Mind: A Radical New Approach to Depression by Edward Bullmore
32. Things That Helped: On Postpartum Depression by Jessica Friedmann
33. How to Fight Depression: 9 Case Studies by John F. Walsh and Joyce Zborower
34. Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression by James S. Gordon, MD
35. You Were Not Born to Suffer: Overcome Fear, Insecurity and Depression and Love Yourself Back to Happiness, Confidence and Peace by Blake Bauer
The Best Books for People with Depression Provide Hope and Comfort
Whether a reader chooses a fiction or memoir, or they prefer a self-help book or case studies, they’ll find something similar in each book: Hope.
When someone is feeling so low that they’ve lost joy in activities they used to enjoy – or in life itself – one of the most important things they need is hope. They need to know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel; that others have been through the same thing and were able to come out on the other side.
They also need support from those around them. Reading the best books for depression can help loved ones start to understand what’s going on and show them the best ways to help.
Whether someone is dealing with depression or not, reading the best books for people with depression is a real source of comfort.
Are you facing another issue you’d like help with? We have a wide selection of self-help books that can provide tips on everything from leadership and developing better habits to improving self-esteem and relationships. Check them out today!
