I was reading an article (1) at work the other day about Bibliotherapy – Book Prescription Schemes: A strategy for delivering psychological treatments.
Has anyone heard of this? I hadn’t. It’s aimed at helping adults with mild to moderate mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety. GPs prescribe appropriate books from a standard list, and the patient can then get the books from the local library using their “prescription”.
I certainly would have found it very useful to have some books recommended to me when I was first diagnosed, as I tend to go into research mode whenever come across a new challenge. As it was I (and I presume my GP) knew nothing about this and so I just picked books up haphazardly.
Apparently there are over 100 of these bibliotherapy schemes in the UK, after a successful pilot scheme in Cardiff. More info on the scheme.
This is only recommended for mild to moderate cases, as I assume those suffering from severe mental health problems aren’t likely to have the motivation/energy to use self-help resources.
So, have any books/videos/websites/resources been really helpful to you?
One of the books I found most helpful and gave me some self-insight before attending CBT was The Worry Cure: Stop Worrying and Start Living by Robert L. Leahy, as it explains some of the most common negative thought patterns.
(1) Bibliotherapy by Professor Neil Frude, Panlibus Magazine, Issue 9, Summer 2008.
Oh wow, now there’s something I’d go for… Thing is, books don’t always help me in severe episodes. They can become confusing and sometimes make me feel worse.
The one book I swear by is ‘Sunbathing In The Rain’ by Gwyneth Lewis. Definite prescribed reading for anyone who has suffered from depression. I’ll be reviewing it as soon as I can get myself together to start my book reviews…
I was given a book prescription for two books, and they were wonderful. I thought everyone got them as standard!
Shatterboxx – I read Sunbathing In The Rain several years ago and it was brilliant. I think I might have to do the same as you; collect up all the books I have related to mental health and do some reviews. Might be helpful for others.
Books that have really helped me have almost exclusively been feminist texts, but that’s because I’d never even heard of Bibliotherapy! My two favourites have been Fat Is A Feminist Issue by Susie Orbach, and The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf.