These stirring poems delve into the complexities of the human mind and the struggles of those facing mental health challenges. They shed light on the darkness of internal battles, the stigma surrounding mental illness, and the courage it takes to seek help.
These poems explore feelings of isolation, despair, and hope through metaphor and powerful imagery. These poems raise awareness and offer compassion and understanding for those grappling with their mental well-being, urging society to foster empathy and support for mental health issues.
Lowell’s ‘Night Sweat’ portrays his struggle with writer’s block and profound distress, finding solace in his wife’s comforting presence.
One of the best-known confessional poems, ‘Night Sweat’ openly deals with the subject of mental illness. Lowell takes an honest approach to describe the minute details of an episode of night sweats. He creates a piece of art from a painful memory.
Work-table, litter, books and standing lamp,
plain things, my stalled equipment, the old broom---
‘In a Mental Hospital Sitting-Room’ depicts the languid solitude experienced by patients who’ve more hope for a distraction than a recovery.
Ultimately, this poem by Jennings is about the effects of mental disorders, sharing a patient's visceral perspective of the hospitals meant to treat those afflicted. Throughout her life, she experienced several breakdowns followed by suicide attempts that led to prolonged periods at a psychiatric hospital. These cycles repeated over decades and her poem captures the weariness of enduring such an isolating and misunderstood issue. It is exceptionally telling that the "only hope" for such people is the distraction, not treatment, of their "disease."
‘Rubble’ by Jackie Kay is a dramatic monologue that was included in her collection, Darling: New & Selected Poems. It conveys an individual’s cluttered and chaotic mind.
The poem's narrator appears to be suffering from some kind of mental illness, though the details are unclear. Their sense of reality is increasingly distorted as the poem goes on.
‘Unknown Girl in the Maternity Ward’ showcases the heartbreaking moment a mother is separated from her child as she is too unwell.
The exact nature of the narrator's mental condition is not revealed in the poem, but Sexton had bipolar disorder, and much of her work was confessional. The narrator's condition means the doctors feel she cannot look after her child and take it away. Inevitably, however, this would likely exacerbate whatever condition she already has.
Child, the current of your breath is six days long.
‘I felt a Funeral, in my Brain’ by Emily Dickinson is a popular poem. In it, she depicts a very unusual idea of life after death.
Mental illness and mental suffering are key parts of this poem. Throughout, the speaker contends with the feeling that their mind is falling apart. Dickinson portrays this mental illness as an all-consuming force that disrupts thoughts and fractures someone's identity.
‘Boots’ by Rudyard Kipling is a memorable poem. In it, Kipling uses repetition to emphasize the struggle of soldiers on a forced march.
Before modern understanding of combat stress, 'Boots' offers remarkable insight into environmental causes of mental breakdown. Through its portrayal of soldiers' deteriorating minds under constant repetition, the poem presents a sophisticated study of how external conditions can shatter sanity, presaging later clinical observations.
We're foot—slog—slog—slog—sloggin’ over Africa!
Foot—foot—foot—foot—sloggin’ over Africa—
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin’ up and down again!)
‘Insensibility’ by Wilfred Owen explores the psychological trauma and dehumanization experienced by soldiers during World War I.
The poem delves into the issue of mental illness as it explores the psychological impact of war on soldiers' mental well-being. During WWI, many soldiers suffered from war trauma, a kind of PTSD when they returned from the battle where they were supposed to be emotionally numb; symptoms included the inability to understand, talk, and walk, panic, anxiety, and even insanity. It was called shell shock as PTSD wasn't discovered, and the awareness or knowledge concerning mental illnesses was limited.
‘Insomniac’ by Sylvia Plath reflects the frustration and exhaustion of sleepless nights, capturing restless thoughts and the struggle for peace.
The poem captures the weight of mental illness by showing the speaker’s battle with sleeplessness and racing thoughts. It feels like their own mind is working against them, bringing up painful memories and worries they can’t stop. The endless cycle of restlessness and exhaustion shows how mental health struggles can take over, leaving the speaker feeling trapped and unable to find peace or relief.
‘My Brother at 3 am’ by Natalie Diaz is written in a Malay verse form called pantoum. He believes that something, or someone, “wants to kill [him]. ”
Mental illness is suggested through the brother’s hallucinations and fear of the devil. The poem portrays his psychotic episode with empathy, illustrating the mother’s concern and confusion as she tries to navigate her son’s delusions. The repetition and cyclical nature of the poem mirror the inescapable nature of mental illness, heightening its impact.
He sat cross-legged, weeping on the steps
when Mom unlocked and opened the front door.
O God, he said. O God.
He wants to kill me, Mom.
‘Ellen West’ by Frank Bidart is a long poem capturing the life-defining moments of Ellen West, a woman who was the signature case for existential analysis in the 19th century. The poem is narrated majorly by West herself, with her doctor Ludwig Binswanger intermittently rendering a clinical analysis of her behaviour.
Researchers say eating disorders have more to do with one's mental state than with food. In this sense, one would agree that mental illness is the main topic of 'Ellen West.' This is proven by the series of mental debates West has regarding food and her damaging idea of not eating. In some sections of the poem, anxiety disorders and depression, both of which are mental disorders, are also highlighted.
I love sweets,—
heaven
would be dying on a bed of vanilla ice cream . . .
‘Home After Three Months Away’ is a poem in which the author explores the passing of time as he returns home after a prolonged absence. As the poem progresses, the poet reveals more of his inner thoughts.
The poem doesn't mention the author's mental illness directly to start with, although the second stanza features rhetorical questions about his health. The third and fourth stanzas, however, focus more heavily on the mood that he finds himself in and how he is dealing with his recovery. The time that the poet spent in the psychiatric hospital does not seem to have been wholly constructive, and he is not happy with the results.
‘Man and Wife’ is a poem written in free verse that highlights the state of the narrator’s marriage at the time while also looking at the broader view of how their relationship has changed over the years.
A central theme of this poem is the poet's mental illness. The opening line mentions the medication that he was taking for his illness, and this sets up the idea that mental illness was one of the most important factors in the problems that they faced throughout their marriage. The poet is quite honest about the effect that these problems had on the two of them, and they are shown to be emotionally draining.
‘Matins [The sun shines; by the mailbox, leaves]’ by Louise Glück is a poignant poem that perceives nature as a balm for depression.
The poem mentions depression twice, first as a comment from Noah that "depressives hate the spring," and second in the speaker's admission of "being depressed" but still feeling "passionately attached" to the tree. Yet the poem is importantly not a general reflection of depression, rather it's a subjective contemplating by one person who suffers from it.
The sun shines; by the mailbox, leaves
of the divided birch tree folded, pleated like fins.
Underneath, hollow stems of the white daffodils, Ice Wings, Cantatrice; dark
‘Wanting to Die’ by Anne Sexton is a poem about the poet’s desire to take her own life. It was written close to ten years before she committed suicide.
This poem gives an unfiltered look into the inner world of someone living with mental illness. Sexton writes from personal experience, letting readers see how depression and suicidal thoughts affect not just her mind but her daily routines and self-perception. The speaker does not sound confused or detached from reality but instead deeply aware of the weight she carries. Because Sexton was a leading voice in confessional poetry, this topic is central to her work and especially visible in this poem.
‘Alone’ by Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates the poet’s best verse. Here, the tormented mind of the literary genius is unveiled and readers get a glimpse into his abrupt and troubled life.
To this day, mental health is a highly stigmatized field of medicine. Edgar Allan Poe was raised in an agrarian society of stoic men, something that's reflected in his verse. The struggles of the mind and emotions were commonly associated with deep character deficits rather than legitimate medical problems.
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