I’ve really missed doing Friday Favorites, and since no one was currently hosting it, Cait @ Functionally Fictional decided to jump into the gap. Each week, she provides a prompt, and I get to talk about my favorite books that fit the topic. Feel free to join in – the more the merrier!

This week’s prompt is cinnamon roll characters, but since I missed last week, I want to revisit that prompt instead. It’s about mental health representation which I think is so important to have in books, and unfortunately, has been less than stellar. Mental health is a topic that has become less stigmatized to discuss and get treatment for, but unfortunately, there’s still a stigma associated with mental illnesses. I’ve seen this firsthand as a mental health counselor who has worked with people with severe mental illness, and has various friends with mental health diagnoses. So here are some of my favorite books that have good mental health representation, and the mental illness portrayed in the story:

1. We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon — one of the main characters in the story has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and the author talks about her own diagnosis. This is probably one of the best portrayals of OCD that I’ve seen because it allows us to see how she thinks when she’s spiraling.
2. Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray — one of the main characters has an anxiety disorder brought on by a traumatic experience, and the story shows how it affects his life and how he copes with it. I especially loved seeing mental illness brought into a story by and about Black people.
3. Something More by Jackie Khalilieh — the main character (and author) have autism, which is a bit iffy to include in a list of mental illness. Although I personally don’t consider autism a mental illness, it’s included in the DSM-5, and I think that neurodivergency is important to represent in books anyway, especially about non-white and immigrant communities who may be less likely to address mental health concerns.
4. She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan — the main character struggles with gender dysphoria when she is forced to dress us as a woman, due to her being forced to assume her deceased brother’s identity, not just for other people, but for the gods, to take his fate.
5. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman — the titular character struggles with depression, OCD, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and we get to see her work through all of this.
6. Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander — this was a fantastic portrayal of agoraphobia, and the ways in which the character has to work through it. 
7. Ten Years Gone by Jonathan Dunsky — this fascinating series starter introduces us to a former detective turned private eye who struggles with PTSD as a result of surviving the Holocaust, and how it specifically affects him. This was a visceral and realistic portrayal, which I can attest to, having lived with a Holocaust survivor with PTSD.
8. White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson — this was a terrifying read where the main character struggled with panic disorder and had panic attacks, also struggling with intrusive thoughts reminiscent of OCD symptoms. 
9. Beloved by Toni Morrison — a classic read that demonstrates the shattering effects that slavery had on individuals, as demonstrated by Sethe’s ongoing struggle with PTSD and the burdens that it places on people no matter how far they run.
10. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi — this story focuses on a brilliant scientist who is working to address depression and substance use disorders through her research, to help others. We get to see these issues through the eyes of someone watching someone they care about struggling with them.

What are some of your favorite books that feature good representations of mental health?