May is Mental Health Awareness Month

            Learn how to promote the mental health of all Americans, this month and every month, by reading some of these current books.

            Capture: Unraveling the Mystery of Mental Suffering, is written by David A. Kessler, MD, a former FDA commissioner and the author of the bestselling book The End of Overeating. He identifies what the “capture” phenomenon is – a “process by which our attention is hijacked and our brains commandeered by forces outside our control”.  Kessler presents case studies that demonstrate how a neural mechanism can override positive mental health and deteriorate to such behaviors as overeating, obsessiveness, fighting, and suicide, leading to mental illness. He then demonstrates how people can overcome these problems through a range of behaviors.

            Andy Warhol Was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History’s Great Personalities, is written by Claudia Kalb. This book is a mix of pop psychology and biography, revealing suspected mental illnesses of the famous. Was Albert Einstein autistic? Frank Lloyd Wright a narcissist? Did Marilyn Monroe have borderline personality disorder?  Historical records and interviews with mental health experts reveal the answers.

            Kokoro Yoga: Maximize Your Human Potential and Develop the Spirit of a Warrior, written by Mark Divine, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL, offers the reader an “integrated physical, mental, and spiritual training” experience. It’s perfect for those people suffering from PTSD and recovering from injuries, as well as those suffering from anxiety.