Caregiver Resources (Books)

Lots and lots of mental health resources are available. This is just a few.

Recommended Books

These books are available at public libraries, or for purchase online or at your favourite bookstore. Some of these books may also available as part of a small lending library when you take the NAMI Family-to-Family Education Course.

• "Mind Gone Astray" by Wayne Kallio This book is a first person account of the impact of mental illness on family members. It may be ordered from the website http://www.mindbogglingbooks.com/.
• "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness" by Elyn R. Saks.
• "Grieving Mental Illness" by Virginia Lafond.
• "The Skipping Stone, Ripple Effects of Mental Illness on the Family" by Mona Wasow.
• "Surviving Schizophrenia: A Manual for Families, Consumers and Providers" by E. Fuller Torrey.
• "The Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs" by Jack M Gorman MD.
• "A Brilliant Madness: Living With Manic Depressive Illness" by Patty Duke and Gloria Hochman.
• "When Someone You Love Has a Mental Illness: A Handbook for Family, Friends and Caregivers" by Rebecca Woolis.
• "Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadows of Mentally Ill Siblings" by Clea Simon.
• "The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness" by Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett.
• "An Unquiet Mind: a Memoir of Moods and Madness" by Kay Redfield Jamison.
• "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: New Help for the Family" by Herbert L. Gravitz.
• "Bipolar Disorder - An Information Guide" published by The Centre for Addiction & Mental Health.
• "The Shell People: My Story of Schizophrenia" by Sharon Mercato.
• "Learning About Schizophrenia - Rays of Hope" available online at http://www.schizophrenia.ca/docs/Rays_of_Hope_4th_edition.pdf
• "I Am Not Sick - I Don't Need Help!" by Xavier Amador and Anna-Lica, Ph.D
• "Catch a Falling Star" by Iris the Dragon.
• "Stop Walking On Eggshells" by Paul T. Kreger, Randi Mason.
• "The Stop Walking on Eggshells Workbook: Practical Strategies for Living with Someone Who Has Borderline Personality Disorder" by Randi Kreger.
• "I Hate You - Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality" by Jerold J. Kriesman, Jerold J. Kreisman, and Hal Straus.
• "Can I Catch It Like a Cold?: A Story To Help Children Understand A Parent's Depression" by Gretchen Kelbaugh.
• "Living Without Depression and Manic Depression: A Workbook for Maintaining Mood Stability" by M.E. Copeland.
• "We Heard the Angels of Madness" by Alexander Vuckovic, Diane Berger, and Lisa Berger.
• "Call Me Anna: the Autobiography of Patty Duke" by Patty Duke.
• "Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified: An Essential Guide to Understanding and Living with BPD" by Robert, M. D. Friedel.
• "Nowhere to Go: The Tragic Odyssey of the Homeless Mentally Ill" by Fuller E. Torrey.
• "When Someone You Love Has a Mental Illness" by Rebecca Woolis.
• "Understanding, Support and Self-Care - A resource manual for family members and caregivers" in traditional Chinese available online at http://www.hongfook.ca/en/files/Family Manual_Tra Chinese.pdf
• "A Family Guide to Concurrent Disorders" available online at http://www.camh.net/Care_Treatment/Resources_clients_families_friends/Family_Guide_CD/index.html
• "A Research Agenda Concerning Depictions of Mental Illness in Children’s Media" available online, click here.
• "Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry" by Bebe Moore Campbell. Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group; (September 1, 2003). ISBN: 0399239723.
• "Edward the Crazy Man" written and illustrated by Marie Day. Available from the publisher's website (Annick Press).
• "How to Be a Real Person (In Just One Day)" by Sally Warner. Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (February 13, 2001). ISBN: 0375904344.
• "Clinical Guide to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mental Disorders, 2nd Edition" Michael B. First (Columbia University, USA), Allan Tasman (University of Louisville School of Medicine, USA). For more information about this book including purchase information go to http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470745207.html.

Review a book. Send your review to f2fprogramsontario@gmail.com and we will post it here. We'd also love to receive your book recommendations!