We get asked very frequently to recommend books or other media about schizophrenia and other severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI). We also get many books suggested to us by our community, and we wanted a place to share them with our wider audience.
Here are some suggested books and memoirs on living with serious and persistent mental illness:
- Surviving Schizophrenia: A Family Manual by E. Fuller Torrey, M.D.
- My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward: A Memoir by Mark Lukach
- The Quiet Room: A Journey out of the Torment of Madness by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett
- The Save of My Life: My Journey Out of the Dark by Cory Hirsch
- When Quietness Came: A Neuroscientist’s Personal Journey with Schizophrenia by Erin Hawkes
- The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness by Elyn Saks
- An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness by Kay Redfield Jamison
- I’m Not Sick, I Don’t Need Help: How to Help Someone Accept Treatment by Xavier Amador, M.D.
- Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker
- Light On Schizophrenia: Revealing Causes and Solutions From an Orthomolecular Perspective by Dr. Abram Hoffer
- No One Cares About Crazy People: The Chaos and Heartbreak of Mental Health in America by Ron Powers
- After Her Brain Broke: Helping My Daughter Recover Her Sanity by Susan Inman
- Schizophrenia Solutions by Paul Bhushan
- Among Silent Echoes by Phyllis Dyson (which we previously reviewed here)
- Mad Sisters by Susan Grundy
- Too Far from the Path: My Journey Through Madness by Tamara Severson
Please keep in mind that these books may have triggering themes or situations, or even content you may not agree with. The views shown in these books are also not those of BCSS, but of their individual authors. BCSS does not necessarily agree or endorse all the content in the above list of books.
If you are looking for more recommendations for children, teens, and parents, please check our BCSS Youth resources.
This list is not exhaustive, and we love hearing about new pieces of media on SPMI. We will be updating this post periodically as new recommendations come in.
Do you have a book about schizophrenia or severe and persistent mental illness that you think we should share? Send us an email with your suggestions to digitalcomms@bcss.org!
