Books and Mental Health by Wendy H. Jones

I wasn't expecting to be writing a blog today so apologies for the lateness. In some ways it has worked out well, as it means I can write a post for Mental Health Awareness Week. Yes, I know it's a writing blog, I'm getting there. Like the population at large, there are many writers who have mental illness. One of the most high profile must be Stephen Fry, who is open about the fact he has bipolar. Christian writers are no stranger to this either. Also, as writers, surely we have a responsibility to write about mental illness and to include characters with mental health issues in our novels. Many of our own members have brought out books which support or reflect a whole range of mental health issues, so I thought it was worth covering them during Mental Health Awareness Week.  These are in no particular order. 

Claire Musters has been involved in writing several of the Insight Series by Waverley Abbey. 

Crying for the Light: Bible Readings and Reflections for Living with Depression by Veronica Zundel.

A pocket book to dip into and share the experiences of Christians living with depression, this title includes the author's own story of living with clinical depression for nearly 35 years.

Sapphire Beach by Maressa Mortimer deals with issues of abuse. Martha has left everything she knows behind. Her marriage, in which she experienced domestic violence, is over. As she seeks solace in her new job as a holiday rep, the afflictions of her past still haunt her. Can she find healing and peace in her new life in Crete? With her faith in God, Martha goes on the difficult journey of recovering from her past and finds that with God, all things are possible.

Secret Scars by Abigail Robson. From five years old, Abbie didn't know who she was supposed to be. To deal with her lack of identity she turned to self-harm, using it as a form of control. Eventually she began the painstaking process of stopping her behaviour and discovering who she was in Christ.

A Passionate Spirit by S.C. Skillman have characters with fragile mental health and both depression and schizophrenia are addressed. In this gothic paranormal thriller for new adults, set in the heart of England, Zoe believes all her dreams have come true, living with her beloved husband in a beautiful and mysterious old manor house. But instead she finds she must share her life with a disturbing ghostly child. And here in England's lovely Cotswold hills, who'd have thought evil could have found her?

The Day the World Went Black: A Spiritual; Journey Through Depression by Eleanor Stoneham. An intensely personal account, courageously told, of a spiritual journey through crippling, sometimes life threatening, depression and dissociation. 

First Steps Through the Menopause by Catherine Francis touches on issues of mental well being. The menopause looms large in every woman's life - but should it? What is it? What are the major problems, and how can women cope with them?

Whale Song: Choosing Life with Jonah by Keren Dibbens-Wyatt. An exploration of the depths of despair, and how we rise from them. Part Bible study, part reflection on the angst of depression, the author takes us with Jonah through his journey to preach to the city of Nineveh via a storm, the seabed and his time in the belly of a giant fish in parallel with her own experience of feeling suicidal.

Silent Strength by Pat Marsh. An award winning book of poetry for people struggling to find strength in difficult times. 

Compliance is Futile by Nick White. Compliance Is Futile is an anthology of poetry about life, faith, love and struggle. Each poem is designed to tell a story or portray a character. This is poetry which is rich in imagery, metaphor and simile. Nick says, 'the book has poems in it which are about my experiences in a mental health ward. Poetry was and often remains the only way I am able to communicate about that time'.

The Art of Daily Resilience by Debbie Duncan.The author knows all too much about the need for resilience. She and her husband Malcolm, and her children, have all had to deal with prolonged ill health, as well as episodes of acute health crisis. Two family members have died.

Funnily Enough by Sophie Neville. Sophie is torn between her love of Africa and returning to England for the sake of her career in television production. But when she falls ill on the set of a show she is directing, she soon finds herself stuck in bed, forced to take stock of her life. It sounds like a novel. But it isn’t. Suspecting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Sophie’s doctor at the BBC prescribes an extraordinary treatment: write a diary.

My hope and prayer is that you find insight, comfort and help in the pages of these books. Please feel free to add more books in the comments and open up the dialogue.

About the Author

Wendy H. Jones is the award winning author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, Cass Claymore Investigates, The Fergus and Flora Mysteries and the Bertie the Buffalo Picture Book. She is also the President of the Scottish Association of Writers and the Webmaster for the Association of Christian Writers.