Tag Archives: Depression

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of depression and depressive episodes.

See also Suicide, Self-harm, and Mental illness.

The Family Next Door by Sally Hepworth

The small suburb of Pleasant Court lives up to its name. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows their neighbours, and children play in the street. Isabelle Heatherington doesn’t fit into this picture of family paradise. Husbandless and childless, she soon catches the attention of three Pleasant Court mothers. But Ange, Fran and Essie have their own secrets to hide. Like the reason behind Ange’s compulsion to control every aspect of her life. Or why Fran won’t let her sweet, gentle husband near her new baby. Or why, three years ago, Essie took her daughter to the park… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Postpartum depression recounted

The Salt in Our Blood by Ava Morgyn

Ten years ago, Cat’s volatile mother, Mary, left her at her grandmother’s house with nothing but a deck of tarot cards. Now seventeen, Cat is determined to make her life as different from Mary’s as possible. When Cat’s grandmother dies, she’s forced to move to New Orleans with her mother. There, she discovers a picture of Mary holding a baby that’s not her, leading her to unravel a dark family history and challenge her belief that Mary’s mental health issues are the root of all their problems. But as Cat explores the reasons for her mother’s breakdown, she fears she is experiencing… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape & sexual assault of a minor
  • Attempted suicide
  • Alcoholism
  • Bipolar Disorder & depression
  • Death of a grandmother

A Safe Girl to Love: Stories by Casey Plett

Eleven unique short stories that stretch from a rural Canadian Mennonite town to a hipster gay bar in Brooklyn, featuring young trans women stumbling through loss, sex, harassment, and love. These stories, shiny with whiskey and prairie sunsets, rattling subways and neglected cats, show growing up as a trans girl can be charming, funny, frustrating, or sad, but never will it be predictable.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Homophobia & transphobia
  • Sexual assault
  • Depression
  • Attempted suicide recounted & self-harm
  • Alcohol consumption, drug use & smoking

The Sad Ghost Club, Vol. 4 by Lize Meddings

When one sad ghost, alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, what happens next changes everything. Because that night, they leave the party and start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don’t belong. Follow the Sad Ghost Club as they navigate the joys and complexities of opening up their community – and their hearts – to new members.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Anxiety & depression (theme)

The Sad Ghost Club, Vol. 3 by Lize Meddings

When one sad ghost, alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, what happens next changes everything. Because that night, they leave the party and start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don’t belong. In Volume 3 of this graphic novel series, follow the Sad Ghost Club as they navigate the joys and complexities of opening up their community – and their hearts – to new members.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Anxiety & depression (theme)
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a parent mentioned

The Sad Ghost Club, Vol. 2 by Lize Meddings

Ever felt anxious or alone? Like you don’t belong anywhere? Like you’re almost… invisible? Find your kindred spirits at The Sad Ghost Club. (You are not alone. Shhh. Pass it on.) When two strangers meet at a party and realise they both feel different from everyone else there, they start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don’t belong. But when a third ghost wants to join the club, things get a bit more complicated. Can the two ghosts overcome their insecurities…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Anxiety & depression (theme)
  • Intrusive thoughts
  • Suicidal ideation

The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings

Ever felt anxious or alone? Like you don’t belong anywhere? Like you’re almost… invisible? Find your kindred spirits at The Sad Ghost Club. This is the story of one of those days – a day so bad you can barely get out of bed, when it’s a struggle to leave the house, and when you do, you wish you hadn’t. But even the worst of days can surprise you. When one sad ghost, lost and alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, they decide to leave together. What happens next changes everything. Beca…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Anxiety & depression (theme)

Stay with My Heart by Tashie Bhuiyan

Liana Sarkar lives and breathes music, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her A&R coordinator father. Maybe if she succeeds, he’ll finally give her the time of day instead of drowning himself in work to distract from the grief of her mother’s passing. When Liana accidentally sabotages an up-and-coming local band, Third Eye, she makes it her mission to steer them towards success—without them discovering her role in their setback. But as she gets closer to Third Eye, especially their enigmatic leader Skyler Moon, it becomes harder to hide the truth. With both her heart and… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Child abandonment & neglect
  • Anxiety & depression (protagonist)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a mother recounted

Soul Searching by Lyla Sage

Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents’ antiques shop out from under them, she doesn’t have a choice—at least, that’s what she tells her family. They don’t need to know she’s lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts who have always been her companions have recently gone silent. But just because she’s returned home doesn’t mean she has to stay with her parents or crash on her twin sister’s couch. Lucky for her, the new…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Depression
  • Drug use
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Car accident recounted
  • Animal death recounted (off-page)

The Baby by A.J. McDine

The day I was told I’d never be able to have a child, my world came crashing down. My husband says he still loves me but I lie awake at night, wishing we could have a family. One morning, my husband’s side of the bed is cold and empty. I hear a noise and head downstairs. In the middle of the rug in my living room is a wooden drawer. Swaddled inside, with perfect rosy cheeks and beautiful round blue eyes, a baby gazes up at me. I shiver. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine…

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape
  • Alcohol consumption & abuse
  • Depression
  • Miscarriage