Mental health can be heavy stuff. Sometimes laughter is the best medicine. (Disclaimer: sometimes ACTUAL medicine is the best medicine! I’m not a therapist. Just an author/blogger guy with anxiety.) These funny books show it’s possible to tackle the tough stuff with humor and honesty. From wildly hilarious memoirs to witty YA novels, this list has something for anyone who’s ever struggled with anxiety, depression, or just surviving life’s chaos. This list is intended for readers who appreciate raw truths wrapped in clever, sometimes ridiculously-uproarious storytelling.
The Best Funny Books About Mental Health
| Title | Author | Year Published | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Furiously Happy | Jenny Lawson | 2015 | A memoir about living joyfully and wildly despite mental illness. Absolutely hilarous ramblings. |
| Broken | Jenny Lawson | 2017 | Lawson’s follow-up memoir, full of sharp, ridiculous humor and candid stories. |
| Misfit | Gary Gulman | 2023 | A stand-up comedian’s honest and funny look at his struggles with depression. Stories from childhood to adulthood. |
| Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult | Maria Bamford | 2020 | A deeply personal, hilarious (and sometimes very weird) memoir from a beloved comedian about mental health. |
| Optimists Die First | Susin Nielsen | 2018 | YA novel about grief, anxiety, and finding humor and connection in the darkest places. |
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
Description:
Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy is a perfect blend of ridiculous humor and raw vulnerability. She dives headfirst into her battles with mental illness and emerges laughing. “Furiously Happy” is Lawson’s battle cry against all the mental (and physical) ailments trying to hold her donw. The stories are wild, bizarre, and totally relatable. Sometimes you just have to be “furiously happy” to survive.
Author: Jenny Lawson
Year Published: 2015
Type of Book: Memoir
Wholesomeness/Content Notes: Strong language and adult themes.
Humor: Quirky, absurd, and sometimes dark but always uplifting.
Mental Health Focus: Anxiety, depression, and navigating life with chronic illness.
Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson
Description:
Jenny Lawson is sort of the queen of hilarious books about depression. So I’m including her twice.
In Broken (in the Best Possible Way), Jenny Lawson picks up right where she left off: hilarious, brutally honest, and just barely hanging on. This memoir dives deeper into her ongoing struggles with mental illness, along with a grab bag of physical ailments that would sideline a lesser human. She shares more awkward, chaotic, and painfully funny moments, all while embracing the idea that being “broken” doesn’t mean being worthless. In fact, Lawson argues that a certain kind of broken can be beautiful (and even necessary) in shaping who we are.
Author: Jenny Lawson
Year Published: 2017
Type of Book: Memoir
Wholesomeness/Content Notes: Similar to Furiously Happy, with candid discussion of mental health.
Humor: Dry, self-deprecating, and totally unfiltered.
Mental Health Focus: Ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression.
Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s by Gary Gulman
Description:
One of my personal favorite books in any genre!
In Misfit: Growing Up Awkward in the ’80s, comedian Gary Gulman reflects on his childhood and teenage years with sharp wit and poetic precision. Alternating between present-day struggles with depression and flashbacks to his youth in 1980s Massachusetts, Gulman blends hilarity with emotional depth. He recounts moments of anxiety, insecurity, and anti-Semitism, all while dropping delightfully specific details (like old phone numbers) that scream ‘80s nostalgia. Ultimately, Gulman turns his lifelong awkwardness and pain into a brutally honest, deeply funny memoir.
Author: Gary Gulman
Year Published: 2023
Type of Book: Memoir / Comedy
Wholesomeness/Content Notes: Some adult language and themes.
Humor: Witty, observational, and heartfelt.
Mental Health Focus: Depression and personal growth.
Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult: A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere by Maria Bamford
Description:
In Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult, Maria Bamford shares her hilariously chaotic journey through mental illness, recovery programs, and the occasional intervention. Growing up in a loving Minnesota family, she dives into her experiences with OCD, bipolar disorder, and a parade of self-help groups with her trademark absurdity and brutal honesty. The book jumps around in structure, but in the best way: mirroring her wonderfully weird thought process. One moment she’s poking fun at her own neuroses, the next she’s sharing raw truths about hospitalization and healing. It’s memoir/manifesto combo, all filtered through Bamford’s offbeat, painfully funny lens.
Author: Maria Bamford
Year Published: 2020
Type of Book: Memoir / Comedy
Wholesomeness/Content Notes: Contains mature themes and language.
Humor: Absurdist, quirky, and deeply personal.
Mental Health Focus: OCD, anxiety, bipolar disorder.
Optimists Die First: Life Ahead: Proceed with Caution by Susin Nielsen
Description:
Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen is the only YA novel (and only fiction) on my list. But for some readers, a smart, funny YA fiction story hits differently than a memoir! Petula De Wilde used to be a fairly typical teen, until a tragedy turned her into a walking anxiety spiral who avoids escalators, germs, and human contact. Sentenced to mandatory art therapy, she finds herself stuck with a ragtag group of fellow misfits. (Think The Breakfast Club, but with more crafting.) The dark humor in Petula’s worst-case-scenario thinking is balanced by real emotional depth. She forms a friendship (and more???) with Jacob, a charming new group member with a prosthetic arm… and a secret! With snappy dialogue and some genuinely funny, awkward moments, this book offers a compassionate take on grief and anxiety that still manages to feel hopeful.
Author: Susin Nielsen
Year Published: 2018
Type of Book: Young Adult Fiction
Wholesomeness/Content Notes: Intended for teens; but does contain heavy and mature themes.
Humor: Awkward, sharp, and painfully real.
Mental Health Focus: Grief, anxiety, depression.
Conclusion: Not a Cure, Just a Chuckle
Look, I’m not here to solve mental health. It’s a big, messy, often overwhelming topic. But I am here to offer you a few books that might help you laugh through some of the chaos. I’ve personally picked each of these because they’re honest, relatable, and most importantly, FUNNY. So if you’re feeling off, anxious, or just need a break from your own brain, maybe one of these will be the right kind of therapy for you. Laughter doesn’t fix everything, but it sure doesn’t hurt.
What did I miss? Tell me (comment below) your go-to mental health read that manages to be both hilarious and healing.
