Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge

I have found a reading challenge that truly has meaning for me. As someone who struggles with severe depression and other issues (sadly professionals can't quite agree on what those other issues are), I am certainly an advocate for mental illness. I want to get rid of the stigma mental illness has and make people more aware of the need for research and inexpensive care. Because this topic is so personal, I will be aiming to read the highest level, 12 books.

Here is more info about the challenge which is hosted by Opinions of a Wolf:

About the Challenge
I started the Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge in December 2010 in an effort to raise awareness, knowledge, and acceptance of mental illness.  Reading, both fiction and nonfiction, is an excellent way to broaden one’s horizons and expose one to new ideas and ways of thinking and being.  Many reading challenges already exist in the book blogging community to address racism, sexism, and homophobia, but I could not find any to address the stigma faced by those suffering from mental illness.  In spite of mental illnesses being recognized by the scientific community as diseases just like physical ones, many still think those suffering from one are at fault for their own suffering.  I hope reading and reviewing books featuring characters struggling to deal with mental illness, whether their own or another person’s, will help remove the stigma faced on a daily basis by those with a mental illness.  They already have to struggle with an illness; they shouldn’t have to face a stigma too.

Challenge Levels:
Acquainted–4 books
Aware–8 books
Advocate–12 books

Reading Suggestions:
I’ll be maintaining a listing here of books featuring characters with a mental illness depicted in a sympathetic light.  I do my best to organize the book by the main type of mental illness featured, although some feature more than one.

Sign Up:
Please sign up for the 2013 challenge by commenting here with a link to your announcement post.  You may sign up at any point before the end of 2013!