e-bookA (or depending on perspective, THE) reference book on mental health and brain-related conditions and disorders, includes criteria and descriptive text.

Portland Library LobbyThis title mulls over the idea of diagnostic inflation in Psychiatry. The premise is summed in the author/psychiatrist Allen Frances' own words, “You are having a normal reaction to a very tough situation in life.”

Portland Library LobbyCultural history of nursing from the Stone Age to the present, paying homage to the profession.

e-bookDrawn from interviews with people who have OCD, this text shows the many ways the disorder manifests, when and why people come to perceive themselves as having a problem and what treatment options they pursue.

e-bookThe content of this book cannot be described as how-to-overcome anxiety. It’s premise is more a discussion based on the author’s own journey, on the development of the anxiety diagnosis in social thought and culture, something that did not exist as a diagnostic category until 1980.

e-bookA semi-humorous exploration of the peaks of anxiety experienced by the author in work, relationships and education. Serves as a discussion about the tie between fear and anxiety as well as freedom and anxiety, veering away from pathologies by specific author intent. Written for both the lay person and the clinician.

cloudLibrary e-bookWhile it begins by lingering on Dan Harris' news anchor career, this book's value is in the conversational presentation of a skeptic overcoming his “sense of silliness” with "mindfulness and self-help" concepts, ultimately finding a measure of wellness.

Portland Library LobbyHaig details an existence of unbearable, unsustainable melancholy. Not as weighty and horrid to wade through as you might think, the phases he considers are along the lines of Falling, Landing, Rising, Living, and simply Being with spells of depression - many less than a page long (ex. “Things you think during your 1,000th panic attack”). Haig lists markers of his 'invisible' disease, considers self concept and self-actualization and assess advances in neuroscience towards understanding depression with an engaging tone that leaves the reader feeling as if they have sat in on a conversation with one of the world's most eclectic (and interesting!) minds.

Portland Library Lobby This guide suggests that by implementing the 6 core principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy you may be able to move beyond the cycle of bad feeling that happiness tends to create in its pursuit.

e-book A finalist for the New England Book Award as well as a TimeOut Beach Read in 2017, this laugh-out-loud memoir from the beloved founder of the James Beard Award-winning website Leite’s Culinaria offers a candid, courageous, and deeply poignant story of family, food, mental illness, and sexual identity.

Portland Library Lobby Told from the perspective of a younger voice, this memoir is funny and vulnerable. Despite appearances of early success - Ivy League student then young theater producer - Lizzie was diagnosed as a teenager and struggles to feel whole and understood. She just wants to discover 'normal' while demystifying her mental illness to herself and others... all while on a road trip.

Portland Library Lobby An RN and former adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine, this memoir details the authors battle for diagnosis, treatment regulation, and relationships. This short novel also gives a in-depth depiction of mental institutions. Trigger warning!: Recounts several suicide attempts

Portland Library LobbyNot quite what you initially think when you read the title. Written by a woman in ED recovery and her therapist, Life without Ed discusses ED like an abusive boyfriend named Ed. Offers suggestions about exercises to do to help you challenge your own ED thoughts and behaviors while allowing you a glimpse inside the mind of a person who struggles with ED.

Portland Library Lobby & e-bookTold with candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is the memoir of iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy. The memoir recounts her struggles with image and trauma as a child actor, recounting her experiences with eating disorders, addiction, recovery... and a complicated relationship with her mother.

Portland Library LobbyAn autobiographical, reflective exploration of a young woman’s perceptions of her early and persisting experiences with bulimia and anorexia. Descriptions that border on raw and desperate frame up the addictive extremes of eating disorders.

Portland Library Lobby13 rules for dealing with sociopaths in everyday life. This book has some mixed reviews ranging from “alarmist” and “pop psychology” to the efficacy of actually being able to identify if you are surrounded by the one in twenty-five everyday Americans that are secretly, or unknowingly, a sociopath.

e-bookOkay, so according to this book, sociopaths comprise 4% of American society. This book makes one a bit paranoid that you may be surrounded BUT it is a glib read that offers insights into what makes this often alluring personality disorder unique.

Portland Library LobbyBased on 25 years of distinguished scientific research, Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? This book provides insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition.

e-book'I always knew I was somewhat different without knowing exactly how. It does not matter where I am – at home, my grandparent's house or my aunt's – pictures and paintings move around and then right themselves as soon as I attempt to show anyone. Nicola, it's just your imagination.... Next, come the voices.'.

e-bookA memoir of a family’s resilience and its odyssey through the medical system. Fraser Sutherland, the late Canadian poet, wrote this memoir after his son, Malcolm, died suddenly at twenty-six after having suffered from schizophrenia.

Portland Library LobbyThis title considers the medical community’s own disagreement about labels and procedures for diagnosing those with mental illness – in particular schizoaffective disorders from an autobiographical standpoint. Wang examines the manifestations of schizophrenia in essays that discuss using fashion to present as high-functioning and failures of the higher education system as well as dangers of institutionalization and the complexity of compounding health factors.

Streaming VideoExplores addiction and generational trauma. Filmed for over three years, JACINTA begins at the Maine Correctional Center where Jacinta, 26, and her mother Rosemary, 46, are incarcerated together, both recovering from drug addiction. The documentary details her trek in and out of the system as well as her release and desire to connect with her own daughter while continually struggling against the forces that first led to her addiction.

Portland Library LobbyNarrated by a man who has and is dealing with meth addiction, this title is a discussion on life with meth, recovery, relapse and relationships. Companion title to his father’s memoir, Beautiful Boy.

Portland Library Lobby Follows the dynamic of being in a close relationship with someone experiencing a methamphetamine addiction and the steps towards recovery. This is a companion experience to his son’s memoir, Tweak: Growing up on meth…

cloudLibrary e-book Full of some thought-provoking standalone quotes (seriously!), this title is not as depressing as you might think. A quick read meditation on the quality of end of life care, our current health care systems and the newer generation faced with these decisions for themselves or those they care for. Gawande encourages the reader to reflect on what we fear most and what value we place on what we can/can’t live without.

e-book From the now-deceased Swiss psychiatrist who originally developed the concept of the 5 stages of grieving, this title is intended as a guide for those who have either recently lost someone themselves or for those who know someone mired in one of the more immediate stages of grief, this title validates what behavior is normal and offers supportive universal advice.

Portland Library Lobby Written by a therapist who has experienced loss, this title’s premise is that there is a middle path between devastation and the perfect recovery. Full of measures of acceptance for the reader so they do not feel they have to solve grief and they don’t have to suffer through it or from it.

Portland Library LobbyGenerally thought a quick read, Still Alice is the fictional depiction of a life with early-onset Alzheimer's disease from the perspective of the effected individual and those in a relationship with one.

Portland Library Lobby Published a little over a decade ago, this title is an all-in-one subject resource, covering diet and lifestyle, medical interventions and the stages of Alzheimer’s.

e-book This book examines writings by people living with Alzheimer's Disease and their caregivers on topics such as the construction of the self in the face of diminishing linguistic and cognitive abilities, the stigmatization of ageing, 'biosociality,' and the ethics of care.

Portland Library Lobby What leads someone to a rooftop and what happens after you come down? Considers suicide as a consequence of trauma and personal isolation, rather than the choice of a depressed person… written as frank memoir. This title also discusses the effects of hospitalization and different forms of therapy such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

cloudLibrary e-book A million moments large and small over the years all came together to convince Shaun that he couldn’t keep going, that he had no future. And so he followed through on trying to make that a reality.

e-book Sociologist Terry Williams situates the writing at the center of teenage life, linking them to abuse, violence, depression, anxiety, religion, peer pressure, sexual identity, and family dynamics to better analyze the sociological motivations behind teenage suicide and to humanize those at risk of taking their own lives. Williams evaluates young people in rural and urban contexts and across lines of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.

Streaming Video Tells the story of four survivors whose rape kits went untested for years, following them as they navigate their way through the criminal justice system and learn that so often, the system is broken

Portland Library Lobby The author maps personal experiences onto what literature there is about C-PTSD. In essence, this is an evidence-based account of approaches to trauma in which Foo interviews field experts and tries a variety of therapies. This title has a particular focus on immigrant and generational trauma on the community.

cloudLibrary e-book Told by both Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry, a trauma expert, this book aims to increase resilience by shifting the approach to trauma – instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?”, ask “What happened to you?”

Portland Library Lobby Generally considered to be “the” resource on care of those living outside of expected gender norms, this title is a broad and thoughtful source of evidence-based information for families wanting to understand and affirm their transgender, gender-expansive, or nonbinary child. This more updated edition, expands coverage of gender development, affirming parenting practices, mental health and wellness, medical decision making, legal advocacy, and how best to ensure school success, from preschool through the high school years.

e-book A self-help title that discusses the various aspects linked to the concept that “in order to build a world that works for everyone, we must first make the radical decision to love every facet of ourselves.” This title includes stories from Taylor’s travels around the world and offers specific tools, actions, and resources for confronting racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. Downloadable workbook included.

e-book This 2nd edition guide runs you through the basics of being present in the moment, exploring ways of thinking and doing, reducing stress and increasing enjoyment of life.

Portland Library Lobby This self-help guide touches on Buddhist philosophy and other elements of general spirituality through anecdotes, includes exercises on meditation practice and mindfulness.

Portland Library Lobby & e-book A collection of talks given by the author in the 80s and 90s: Using painful emotions to cultivate wisdom; Compassion, and courage; Communicating so as to encourage others to open up rather than shut down; Practices for reversing habitual patterns; Methods for working with chaotic situations; and Ways for creating effective social action

Portland Library Lobby “Thoughts are not facts. They are a mix of opinions, judgements, stories, memories, theories, interpretations and predictions about the future.” –Julie Smith. This title is a collection of a clinical psychologist’s best coping techniques and practical advice to combat anxiety and depression, deal with criticism, and improve our mental health in small increments, collected from over a decade of 1-on-1 work with patients.

Portland Library Lobby & e-book Drawing from history, personal and professional experiences, and interviews, the author pushes home the point that what really drives success is not “genius” but a unique combination of passion and long-term perseverance. Covers a range of human experience to illustrate this discussion.

cloudLibrary e-book A discussion on habit formation and the internal system of change. The title purports to be a practical guide to assist you in making time for new habits, overcoming a lack of motivation, and getting back on track when you get distracted.