Many bookworms remain worried that the ubiquitous use of social media is leading to a decline in reading books. But a number of surveys indicate that book-reading trends have actually remained stable over the last two decades.
For example, a 2017 Gallup Poll found that 35 percent of Americans read 10 or more books per year, the same level as 2002. Likewise, a Pew Research Forum survey found that book-reading habits remained largely unchanged from 2012 to 2016, with the average American reading 4 books per year.
Interestingly, this survey found that 27 percent of Americans did not read any books at all in 2016.
Several studies have examined whether bibliotherapy can facilitate recovery from mental illness. One classic study found a decrease in depressive symptoms after a program of bibliotherapy, a finding repeated in more recent meta-analyses and systematic reviews.
By the same token, evidence suggests that mindfulness-based approachescan enhance recovery from mental illness. In one of an ongoing studies, young men with mental health difficulties often report reading mindfulnessbooks to promote their own mental health, with Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now frequently mentioned.
To conclude, books are an invaluable but underutilized resource that can increase empathy, enhance recovery and inspire those with mental health difficulties. As such, reading should be encouraged for everybody, but particularly those with mental illness—whether through formal bibliotherapy groups or individual prompting from family, friends or clinicians.
