Heard of bibliotherapy? Surprisingly few people have, yet it’s a remarkably effective healing tool, helping to alleviate anxiety and depression. Expressed simply, bibliotherapy is about reading your way to health.

Reading is, to the mind, what exercising is to the body; a means of building and maintaining wellbeing. A good book is engrossing, stimulating and satisfying. Moreover, as all subjects have been covered in book form, bibliotherapy can be informative and educational, helping you to realise that you are not alone with your problems and giving you the strength to carry on.

Many people are prone to feelings of loneliness and isolation, but solitude can be filled with the enriching joys of a good book. Through reading you can share common experiences, know yourself and develop as a person. Books can also provide a social connection, as they can be discussed with and recommended to other people.

Bibliotherapy is not a new concept. Its effectiveness was recognised as far back as Ancient Egypt, and in classical Greece reading was considered essential for mental health, as it promoted logical thought. The Swiss-born British-based writer and philosopher Alain de Botton suggests that self-help books help us to overcome the tensions and frustrations of everyday life.

Sceptics say bibliotherapy can be unreliable, but results suggest it has a positive effect in the majority of cases.

Bibliotherapy is not a universal panacea, but a book can be a friend for life, capable of sparing us a chapter of suffering.

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