What can you tell me about mental health?
Literature helps us understand the changes we face. The use of literature in health and illness processes is not new, and its benefits are known to range from improving self-esteem and accepting reality to promoting psychological well-being.
And when is reality a mental disorder or a disability? And when should we support a child or adolescent in this new reality?
Children's and young adult literature also offers works that introduce children and teenagers to mental health issues and emotional distress, helping them to understand and accept these problems, and above all, to avoid stigmatizing those who experience them. Below, we present a selection of books and picture books designed to help young children and teenagers understand mental health issues.
Children's literature
- Bet and ASD
Anna Gusó (author) and Joana Bruna (illustrator). Bellaterra Editions.
This story explains in simple terms what autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is, how it affects children, and how we can help them in their daily lives. It stems from the author's own need to explain to those around her what was happening to her daughter.
When you purchase the book, you can access a free application that allows you to customize both the main character and the texts on each page, so that you can adapt it to explain each case.
- " Tuesdays, my uncle and the aliens "
Dídac Micaló (author) and Roger Ballabrera (illustrator). Tramuntana Editorial.
This is a colorful, optimistic, and humorous picture book that explains what daily life is like with a person diagnosed with bipolar disorder . The protagonist's mother explains that his uncle suffers from a disorder that affects his emotions, and how he experiences things. "Sometimes, it's like it's her birthday, and other times, it's like they're cutting her toenails."
It includes an educational sheet explaining the disorder and inviting young readers and their families to answer questions about the story. It won the "Stories of Emotions: If You Know Me, You Understand Me" award from the Bipolar Association of Catalonia .
- " Mole Earthquake "
Anna Llenas (author and illustrator). Beascoa.
Topito is a puppy with tons of energy. He touches everything, gets distracted, loses things, and never stops moving. Thanks to the help of a magician (actually an educator or therapist), who will listen to him and give him space to express himself freely, he will be able to channel all that energy into something that makes him happy.
In this way, Anna Llenas addresses attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), school bullying, and the need to attend to the particular needs of each child, without prejudice or labels, to help them achieve happiness.
- " The Red Tree "
Shaun Tan (author and illustrator). Barbara Fiore Editorial
This is a picture book without a defined narrative, a series of images and imaginary worlds, without any written explanation, inviting the reader to draw their own meaning. An unnamed young girl appears in all the images, as if she were ourselves, going through difficult times without being able to do anything, until she finally finds something hopeful at the end of her journey.
This story invites us to describe and express feelings through metaphors, especially feelings of loneliness and depression . And at the same time, it reminds us that, just as negative feelings are inevitable, hope always manages to alleviate them.
Young adult literature
- " The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time "
Mark Haddon. Salamander
A story written in the first person by a 15-year-old boy diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). He is a keen observer, excels in math and physics, and dreams of becoming an astronaut, but he struggles to understand the feelings of those around him, jokes, and puns, and he dislikes unfamiliar places. One night, he discovers his neighbor's dog dead and decides to investigate to find the culprit and, moreover, to write his story as a detective novel. To do so, he must leave his familiar, orderly world behind.
- " A thousand times over, forever "
John Green. Ink Cloud
In this novel, the author tells the story of Aza, a young woman with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who finds herself caught up in an adventure to discover the whereabouts of a missing billionaire and claim the reward offered to whoever finds him. Throughout the book, we see how the protagonist tries to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and a good detective, while constantly struggling to control the thoughts that invade her mind in an ever-tightening spiral.
- " Am I normal now? "
Holly Bourne. The Galley
It tells the story of a 16-year-old girl, diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), who wants to return to "normal" life after three years of medical treatment. Now starting at a new school, she wants to do the things any teenager her age wants to do: hang out with friends, go to parties, have girlfriends and a boyfriend… But her problems won't make it easy, and she'll even create a spinster club. A fast-paced yet profound read, full of friendship, secrets, love, and drama.
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