Many of these books not only provide information but also encourage self-help. Authors in this genre are almost always experts. For example, a onetime number one bestseller in this category is Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness is written by Daniel G. Amen, MD, a clinical neuroscientist and psychiatrist. Yet because the book provides do-it-yourself care filled with “brain prescriptions” from cognitive exercises to diet, it is written in the style of a how-to book despite the author's impressive credentials.

Categories of Mental Health Books

There are numerous subcategories within the topic of mental health books. Many books are traditional in their approach and are almost always written by psychiatrists, psychologists, and licensed therapists. These books provide information but may also offer guidance in mental health treatment and even self-help techniques.

Other mental health books are sometimes called “pop psych,” meaning that they reach out to a wide audience in contemporary and popular parlance. For the most part, these books are also written by authorities in the field.

Books promoting the notion that mental health can be attained through exercise are growing in number. Based on the premise that the mind and body are connected and one affects the other, these books show how to improve one's emotional well-being through such exercises as yoga, running, and Pilates and are often written by experts in fitness rather than the medical field.