Literature can represent mental health illnesses through their characters giving people suffering with mental health issues something to relate to. Literature can also be used as bibliotherapy, which is therapy through reading literature, whether it is to escape from one’s own reality or if it’s to help them gain understanding to why they may feel a certain way. By literature being used as a form of therapy it can also reduce the amount of people on medication or considering medication. It is also known that by reading literature it lowers the heart rate and blood pressure, as it is giving people something else other than their problems to focus on.  

 

In 1966 literature became part of the medical world to be used as a form of therapy alongside other forms of therapy, as reading is known to calm the mind and for the reader to become so engrossed in the tale they are reading, that they don’t have space in their mind to think about what is troubling them. When people attend their doctors or therapists office and they are just prescribed to focus on reading a piece of literature, most patients become confused and do not understand as to why they are told to read a novel and how it can help with their mental health, however studies show that from just five days of reading literature it calms the mental state and there are obvious changes within people’s minds. 

 

As we continue to explore how bibliotherapy is used today we begin to notice how reading literature as a way to help people is used in so many different ways; that do not just come from a therapist's office. For example, bibliotherapy is used for prisoners as a way to help clean their minds and to keep them calm, literature is also used with the older people in care homes as by reading literature it is also said to keep the mind alive and active, or to help them to have some sort of escape from where they are at that point in their lives.  

 

Victorian authors, mostly women, were seen as “mad” due to the stories that they would write; unknowingly that they were "mad” due to their mental health issues however it was thought that only women were to suffer with mental health problems unlike men who were “unable” to have a mental illness. Therefore, women who wrote tales different from the rest were sent to mental health hospitals as what they were writing was not societally correct. However, the way women with mental health issues were treated was not ignored as Charlotte Brontë went on to write novels about how females and female authors were treated in the Victorian times.  

 

When we take a look at Shakespeare's’ work we see murderous insanity and depression however when people took a look at Shakespeare’s work, they didn’t understand his use and portrayal of mental illness within his work at the time of him writing his novels. However, when people look at Shakespeare’s work today, they understand his portrayal of mental illnesses and how he must have also been suffering himself. Today there is a lot more awareness raised for those with mental health problems therefore outsiders find it easier to spot the signs that someone is suffering with issues within their minds.  

 

Reading literature isn’t just for the young adults and older generations, it can also be used to help the younger generations also suffering with their own emotions. Just because young children don’t understand the concept of mental illness it does not make their mental health any less valid. For example, we see in the following quote “There are so many books and stories that allow children to explore their internal world and make sense of difficult emotions such as sadness, anger and anxiety.” By a child having someone to read a book to them or with them it can help them understand their emotions and why they might feel a certain way, and what can help them feel better when they feel the certain emotion. Reading literature can help many different generations in many different ways whether it’s to help them with their mental illness or to help them escape from the world they are in. Reading a book should not be restricted by age.  

 

Literature is used as therapy in many different circumstances with many different people going through different things. Whether people are reading to help them escape from their reality, or to help them understand themselves and what is happening; either way reading a novel is helping their mental health instead of medicating in tablet form. By reading a book it can help those understand their own feelings as stated above, it can also help them to see that they are not on their own with the way that they feel.  

 

I believe that there could be a lot less of the population suffering with mental health issues and resolving these issues with medication, if they are to give other methods of therapy a chance to see if they could help other than medications. For example, instead of straight away being recommended medication from their doctors, it may be a possibility for people to be recommended to try other forms of medication first for example; reading a piece of literature, listening to some calming music, creating a painting or even taking part in some photography. Having mental health problems is a serious topic that should be dealt with in the correct manner where the person suffering also agrees with the choices of medication. Some people may not want to take medication or to go to a therapist so it needs to be made aware that there are other forms of therapy that they can do from the comfort of their home without having to attend a doctor's office.