Bibliotherapy Boosts Mental Health

 Last week, I heard a tragic story of a teenage boy who committed suicide. The reason was that his parents insisted that he focus on his studies for the upcoming internal examination at his college. This story was still fresh in my mind when I suddenly encountered another much sadder incident. A news report stated that the suicide rate is soaring in Australia, particularly among Nepali students. The same report indicated that ten dead bodies were sent to Nepal from Sydney alone within just a month. All those students belonged to the age group of 23 to 30. The major reason for their wrong decision surfaced as mental pressure - the news story said.

These two cases made me ponder once again why our youths are choosing suicide as an ultimate solution to their problems. These days, we come across a lot of stories related to mental health issues. A report says that suicide rates in Nepal have surged by an alarming 72 per cent over the past decade. Among many other contributing factors, mental health problems remain a main cause for this. Mental health is a pressing concern not only in Nepal but also throughout the world.

Mental health 

Again, there may be many reasons for people's deteriorating mental condition, such as family disputes, domestic violence, poverty, social discrimination, substance use, sleep deprivation, poor health condition or genetics. On top of all these, there is another reason, especially associated with digitally active young people's mental health and it is excessive use of social media. There are many research studies which highlight that if young people are exposed to social media for a long period of time, they will have to face various mental health problems. 

For instance, the Mission Australia survey report published in The Guardian in 2023 pointed out that those teenagers who reported higher social media use also reported worse mental health and wellbeing, such as feeling negative about the future, no control over their lives and feeling lonely. It will not be wrong if we say that poor mental health status has been a serious threat to the new technology age. What can be done to get rid of this situation? This is the question that can be asked by all conscious people who prefer a better world to live in. 

Recently, I watched an interview of a renowned Indian American novelist and story writer, Usha Priyambada, where she was sharing an interesting story to the interviewer. She said that the middle-aged men of 50-55 years old come to a therapist and complain, 'My life has been empty. Although I'm earning a handsome salary, I have expensive cars and everything but inside I'm empty.' For this, the therapist responds, ' This happened because you haven't read literature.' I was so impressed by Priyanbada's story that I started to explore what this therapist said was really true. Then I came across the term 'bibliotherapy.' I found the term defined as the use of books as therapy in the treatment of mental conditions. 

What a good idea to treat mentally disturbed people by using books! My personal experience also aligns with bibliotherapy. When I lost my mother nearly a decade ago, I had no one to share my intense grief but books. It happened so suddenly that I could not process anything. Thanks to God, I am fond of reading. So, I turned to books and articles to soothe my pain. Gradually, all the clouds that gathered inside me started to fade away and eventually, I accepted my mother's passing away. Not only this, I wrote a book, 'Ghaam Astaaeko Hoina', during that time to help the people who lost their dear ones. However, I was not aware of 'bibliotherapy' at that time.

If we surf for articles on 'bibliotherapy', hundreds will appear. Basically, the bibliotherapists use this technique to treat mentally disturbed people. The choice may be fiction, non-fiction or self-help books according to the problems that the patients are facing. For example, the advocates of fiction-based creative bibliotherapy argue that immersing oneself in rich, simulated worlds - often reflective of real-life experiences - can help readers process emotions, discover coping strategies or simply provide momentary escape from their everyday woes. All this helps them to go back to their normal life. 

Effective method 

The bibliotherapists emphasise that bibliotherapy, as a low-cost, effective and timely method, can be broadly promoted, but the specific choice of books needs to be considered individually for each person's own circumstances. There are many success stories related to bibliotherapy. Dr. David Burns, the author of 'Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, ' states that people have shared their experiences after reading the book. One of his readers wrote to him, '...I just finished your book.  My depression score on the first day was 51, and today, after I just finished it, I scored 0... Here, the score 51 means moderate to severe depression and 0 means no depression at all. 

I think it is a good idea to try bibliotherapy if you are going through some kind of mental pressure. It is such a useful and cheap medicine and accessible medicine. Especially, the young people who spend a lot of screen time and stress themselves can benefit more from bibliotherapy. This technique may reduce the suicide rate as well.

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, December 26, 2025 ) 

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