World Mental Health Day: book collection launched to help teenagers

North Yorkshire’s library service has launched a new Reading Well for its teenagers’ collection to coincide with World Mental Health Day taking place on Monday October 10.

The pandemic’s disruption to young people’s lives, alongside issues such as growing concern about global warming, has increased uncertainty about identity, position in society and future plans.

In 2020, almost half of young people said they did not feel in control of their lives and almost a third claimed that they felt overwhelmed by feelings of panic and anxiety on a daily basis.

The Reading Well collection focuses on topics such as body image, bereavement, social anxiety, boosting confidence, surviving online, sexuality, gender identity and mental health. It caters for a wide range of reading levels and formats to support less confident readers and encourage engagement.

North Yorkshire County Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Greg White, said: “This latest collection adds another strand to the support that young people can find at their library, again showcasing their important role in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the communities they serve.

“Every library across North Yorkshire will be displaying titles from the new collection and any title which is unavailable can be requested and borrowed free of charge.”

The Reading Well collection is curated by The Reading Agency in partnership with experts from accredited organisations and professionals including NHS England, leading mental health charities and library staff.