Whether you know it or not, there are people around you that suffer from depression, mental illness or even thoughts of suicide. There are several factors that go into a person feeling sad. With the pandemic alone, we saw firsthand how it affected our loved ones, and for many, ourselves. Other causes of depression include, but not limited to: age, major events, death or loss, genetics, postpartum, bullying and other personal problems. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), mental illness and substance use disorders are involved in one out of eight emergency department visits by a U.S adult.

While there are ways to help prevent or treat a person from depressing or harming themselves such as counseling and medication, there are other unique ways you may have not thought of: reading. Reading books can offer a way to escape reality for a few hours. For some, it’s a time where you can relate to a character or plot.
The Thomas County Public Library supports mental health awareness to the entire community and they take pride in their programs. HealthLife spoke with marketing coordinator, Samantha Hanchett, to get her input on the benefits of reading books to help with mental health.

Read the interview with Thomas County Public Library…