Understanding Mental Health

We are running author events with Keith Gray and Phil Earle as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, so this list highlights books that focus on mental health issues that are more common amongst young people than you think, and often misunderstood.


Being Billy - Phil Earle	Zelah Green - Vanessa Curtis	Dougie's War - Rodge Glass
Eight years in a care home makes Billy Finn a professional lifer. And Billy's angry - with the system, the social workers, and the mother that gave him away. As far as Billy's concerned, he's on his own. His little brother and sister keep him going, though they can't keep him out of trouble. But he isn't being difficult on purpose. Billy's just being Billy. He can't be anything else. Can he?	Zelah Green has OCD - she is a cleanaholic. She spends most of her life running away from germs, dirt, and people. Her stepmother admits her to hospital where she meets other people struggling with different mental health issues. A quick read but full of thought-provoking issues.	Dougie Campbell is a Scottish soldier, a veteran of Afghanistan returning home to the south side of Glasgow. He cannot forget his experiences of combat and a battle rages inside him as he struggles to adjust to civilian life. This graphic novel deals with post-traumatic stress disorder and is shocking in parts but highly recommended.

Perfect 10 - Chris Higgins	My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece - Annabel Pitcher	Inside My Head - Jim Carrington
Perfection is the key aim in Eva's life. She works hard to be the girl all the other girls wish they could be but soon her mother's in rehab, her father's absent and her best friend seems more interested in snogging her brother than spending time with Eva. Life is quickly unravelling so Eva clings to the one thing she can control, her weight.	Ten-year-old Jamie Matthews has just moved to the Lake District with his Dad and his teenage sister, Jasmine for a 'Fresh New Start'. Five years ago his sister's twin, Rose, was blown up by a terrorist bomb. His parents are wrecked by their grief; Jasmine turns to piercing, pink hair and stops eating. The family falls apart. But Jamie hasn't cried in all that time. To him Rose is just a distant memory. When he sees a TV advert for a talent show, he feels certain that this will change everything and bring them all back together once and for all.	This cleverly constructed narrative consists of three points of view: of Gary, constantly victimised by the school bully in a nasty, name-calling and vindictive way; the bully's friend, David and a new girl to the school, Zoe. All viewpoints are revealing.