Top 12 Mental Health Books For Teens Updated 04 /2024

Young adult books have always been a good place for teenagers to read about the problems they might be having. Books about mental health and mental illness should be in this genre because it's a good place to write them. There are books that just get what it's like to be a teenager with a mental illness, and they tell the important stories that today's teens need to know about.

There are a lot of teenagers who have mental illnesses, and these stories show them that they aren't the only ones who have them. These books could even save lives in a world where high school can be very lonely. If you look at the reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, some of them have already done this. There are stories about how depression affects people who don't have depression, how grief can make you feel like you're in a dark fog, and how anxiety can eat you up. These aren't just for people who are in pain, but for people who want to better understand their friends and peers.

Books are said to teach empathy, and these aren't anything but a long lesson in empathy. Here are eight books for teenagers that talk about mental health in a real way.

Some Kind Of Happiness by Claire Legrand

There are ways to get away when life gets too much. The imaginary forest kingdom Finley Hart made up is called "Everwood." She writes about it in her notebooks and talks about it to her friends and family. If she wants to save the magic in her kingdom, Finley will have to save herself as well. Claire Legrand's magical book is the perfect mix of fantasy and reality, with a look at depression that people of all ages will enjoy.

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Mosquitoland is a book by David Arnold that talks about how mental health and mental illness can have an effect on people who are close to us, like our friends and family. When Mary Iris Malone sees that she isn't OK, she knows it. Dad has a new wife, her mom isn't there, and Mim feels like her life is falling apart. When Mim reads Mosquitoland, she's on a journey to find her mother and also to understand her.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman's book, which won the National Book Award in 2015, is a great example of how mental health can be shown. Caden Bosch thinks he's on a ship that is going to Challenger Deep, which is the southernmost part of the Marianas Trench. In reality, he has schizophrenia, and as his fantasy takes over, his parents have to get him sent away to a mental institution because they don't want him to get hurt again. In Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman shows that he has a lot of experience with both mental illness and what it's like to be a teen.

 Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Sophia Kinsella is a very funny writer, and she makes even social anxiety seem funny in her book, Finding Audrey. Audrey doesn't want to leave the house. She always wears big black sunglasses and doesn't leave the house. She gets scared when the doorbell rings, and she won't talk to strangers in public. It looks like things will never get better. Then Audrey meets Linus, who can help Audrey connect to the outside world one small step at a time, and things start to look up. Finding Audrey is both funny and real. It's a light-hearted look at how people with mental illnesses live their lives.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

This book by Adam Silvera is called More Happy Than Not, and it talks about how teenagers deal with their mental health and their sexuality, as well. Aaron Soto tries to kill himself after his father does. When he doesn't do well, he wants to make himself happier by making more money. More happy than not at the very least He goes so far as to have the Lateo procedure done in order to forget about the death of his father. As time goes on, Aaron's memories start to emerge that show him that he is dealing with more than just grief.

Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley

Anxiety is one of the things John Corey Whaley tackles in his new young adult book, Highly Illogical Behavior. As the title says, with mental illness, you may be aware that your actions don't make sense, but that doesn't mean that you can change them. 16-year-old Solomon meets Lisa for the first time after three years of not leaving the house. Everything will change for both of them.

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

To make you up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior who can't tell real from fake. Only her little sister and a Magic 8 Ball can help her. Alex is determined to stay sane, fight schizophrenia, and go to college. Things start to go back to normal when Alex starts to fall in love and go to parties, even making some friends along the way. She starts to question things more than ever. Is her new life real?

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

They live on the other side of the fantasy and dystopian YA books. In The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness tells their stories. It's the normal kids who don't have weird things happen to them. Kids like Mikey, who just want to get through high school, get away from his crazy parents, and learn how to deal with his OCD. If you have OCD, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is a real look at what it's like.

All That I Can Fix By Crystal Chan

He comes from the mixed-race family with the dad who tried to kill himself, the pill-popping mom, and the genius kid sister. People in Makersville know all about him. To make things even worse, the weirdo who lived on the edge of town decided one night to open all the cages in his exotic zoo and then shoot himself in the head. Then his family would have to move out of the house. Gosh, that's weird. You can't trust adults to do the right thing.

Overnight, news crews, gun control supporters, and gun rights supporters come to Makersville. They bring rallies and anti-rallies with them. Before they leave, Ronney has to deal with his sister's growing fear of roaming lions, stop his best friend from going on a safari in the middle of the city, and free a lonely boy who follows him wherever he goes. When all of Ronney's worlds fall apart, can he find a way to keep it together?

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