Hi, I’ve never posted in this sub before but I’m curious if anyone has any recommendations for novels about characters in psychiatric hospitals. I’m working through some childhood trauma about living in institutions and it’s been helpful to read other accounts of this (fictional or otherwise). I don’t mind poetentially triggering content.
Books I’ve read and loved: Girl Interrupted, Girl In Pieces, etc.
Thanks in advance! I know it’s a bit of an odd request.
by ocd-rat
19 Comments
“One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey is set in a psychiatric hospital. Its main conflict, told from the view of another patient, tells of the gentle struggle between a nurse and a patient. Kesey was once an employee of such an institution.
Might not be quite what you’re looking for but one of the most memorable and moving books I’ve read (and keep re-reading) is the novel *Skallagrig* by William Horwood. It’s the story of two people with cerebral palsy. Born decades apart, in the early & latter part of the 20th century, it focuses on how differently they lived their lives and the search for something precious. Whilst not about mental illness and health per se, back in the 1920s people with physical disabilities were often shut away for life in ‘institutions’ and treated as though they were irredeemably mentally ill.
It’s of its time (published in the 1980s) and not politically correct by today’s standards, but most people who read it never forget it. It’s a sad, moving, funny, uplifting, and ultimately happy book.
Ps it might be difficult to get hold of as it’s out of print, but is often available in used condition.
Pps The other great novel to read is *One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest* by Ken Kesey
Cut by Patricia McCormick
If I remember right it was written by a psychologist. It’s a short book about young girl who enters a psychiatric hospital after people find out she self harms. The author does a good job of putting the reader into her mind so we can clearly see her mindset.
I actually was assigned to read the book in middle school.
The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist might fit the bill too.
Any Child and I’m pretty sure it’s called Asylum.
Edit: AMY! Not any!
Edit 2: CROSS! Not child!
Just throw me in the bin.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story – there’s also a movie version but the book was so relatable as a depressed teen.
So, this isn’t exactly about a psychiatric hospital but it’s the same subject. It’s called “The Best Minds” by Jonathan Rosen and it’s the true story about Michael Lauder who had a mental break and graduated from Yale with a law degree. It’s sad but I highly recommend it.
The Bell Jar
Awakenings by Oliver Sacks (there is a movie with Robin Williams)
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Could be potentially triggering as you mention, maybe look us a warning list, but a good story still.:)
I read The Lost Girls of Willowbrook earlier this year. It’s about a girl who is mistaken for her escaped twin sister and forced in to the institution in her place.
Angels of the universe- Einar Mar Guðmunsson
So poetic and intense, one of those books that stays with you for ever
Timeshelter
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman. Sage is told that her twin, Rosemary, died. She finds out that Rosemary was actually sent to Willowbrook when her stepfather gets a message that Rosemary has gone missing. Sage decides to go to Willowbrook to find Rosemary, but she is mistaken for her twin and finds herself in her worst nightmare when nobody believes her story.
The writing gets a little repetitive, but I liked the story. Wiseman always writes stories that have a compelling root in reality. This particular story resonates for me because it takes place on Staten Island and I used to stay with relatives there. When I was about six, I got in trouble for getting out of bed when I woke up. My aunt’s neighbor had had her baby kidnapped from its crib, so my aunt made me stay in bed till someone came to get me up.
Then Geraldo Rivera did an expose on Willowbrook, which I saw. So when I saw this book, I had to have it. Like I said, it isn’t my favorite of Wiseman’s books, but I think it will check off some of the boxes for you.
*Ultraviolet* by RJ Anderson
*Inferno* by Catherine Cho
Ward D – Freida McFadden
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
Paperweight by Meg Haston
A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Regeneration by Pat Barker
Asylum by Patrick McGrath
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Nonfiction
Strangers to Ourselves by Rachel Aviv
Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me by Anna Mehler Paperny