Below are five novels that follow characters who live and cope with mental health issues.
1. Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Aza is a sixteen-year-old girl trying to survive high school, just as anyone, alongside dealing with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This story touches on an important conversation about mental health while involving romance, mystery, friendship, and loss.
2. Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley
Soloman hasn’t left the house in three years due to agoraphobia: the fear of open or public places, but, when Lisa and Clark set foot into his life he learns about love, tragedy, and the necessity of connection.
3. Mosquitoland by David Arnold
After moving to Mississippi to live with her father and step-mom, Mim Malone learns of her mother’s illness back home in Cleveland. She hops on a Greyhound, meets fellow travelers, and assesses her personal notions of love, loyalty, and ability to be mentally okay.
4. How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox
Biz, a seventeen-year-old girl, still sees her father 10 years after he died. While dealing with sexual identity, PTSD, and unresolved grief, Biz discovers what it feels like to float.
5. Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
Ridley and Jubilee can't help but fall in love after their immediate connection at a comic convention prom. As Ridley deals with spiraling anxiety and Jubilee focuses on other ambitions, the two begin to wonder if love truly can conquer all.