Hoggan 1

Talia Hoggan

Vicki LeQuire

RC 2001-101

17 September, 2020

Mental Health in Young Adult Literature:

An Analysis of Two Sources Concerned With the Potential Effects to Readers

Over the past decade, the amount of American youths experiencing a mental illness has

risen significantly (American Psychological Association). This influx has led to an increase in

demand for greater acknowledgement, attention, and information on the subject of mental health.

There are various strategies that are advocated in hopes of helping the younger generation. Dr.

Kia Richmond, Ricki Ginsberg, and Haley Jacks are among those that argue for the

implementation of young adult books in schools, that include characters who experience

psychological problems. Kia Richmond, guest author of the article “Language and Symptoms of

Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature”, is the Director of the English Education program at

Northern Michigan University, teaching courses in English methods and young adult literature.

Ricki Ginsberg is an Assistant Professor of English Education at Colorado State University and

Haley Jacks was a CSU graduate student at the time their article, “ ‘You Consider Letting Go’:

Intersections of Mental Health and Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors in Popular Young

Adult Literature”, was written. Both articles were written by qualified authors. However, given

the subject is about young adults, the article authored by Kia Richmond utilizes rhetorical

strategies that are much more suited to a younger audience, allowing them to be more susceptible

and open to the idea of young adult literature being a helpful resource.
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The purpose of both articles is to examine the benefits YA literature can have, such as

helping teens empathize with people who may suffer from mental health issues, and the negative

effects, like a potential contribution to the negative stigma surrounding the subject. The articles

cross-examine the pros and cons before ultimately emphasizing that the potential benefits

outweigh the opposition. Richmond’s article features simple language, quoting only brief phrases

or words from a plethora of modern young adult books. She writes no more than three pages,

with very few and clear sections. In contrast, Ginsberg and Jacks use much more formal and

scholarly language, writing 13 pages with a variety of complex sections and subsections. Though

the latter may seem more credible for these reasons, the first article is more likely to catch the

attention of the reader, who may be younger and therefore less educated, and persuade them in

words the audience can understand.

One of the ways the authors attempted to connect with the reader was through young

adult literature itself, providing examples from various texts. This was meant to be a way to

evoke their emotions and see the relevance that YA characters can have. However, the two

articles go about this in very different ways. Richmond mentioned many novels briefly, stating

the problems the characters deal with and a few facts about the plot. She used bullet points to

describe the symptoms the characters experience, such as “being forgetful and disorganized,

racing or jumbled thoughts, increased irritability”. Many readers may be able to relate to these

symptoms, allowing them to further empathize with the characters. The opposing article chose to

discuss three novels in depth. They provided a relatively brief plot of all of the books and went

through all of the details and major plot points, an example being “At the end of the novel, when

Finch does die by suicide…”.

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This series of long summaries and analyses is more likely to lose the reader’s attention and

possibly upset them if they had been planning on reading one of the books mentioned.

Though it was established that Ginsberg and Jacks utilized scholarly language and facts

that may make them appear more credible, such as the use of the statistic they used to open the

article, there is a subtle subjectivity underlying certain claims they made. They stated these

claims as if they were facts, such as when they wrote that the book ​Go Ask Alice ​“portrayed

mental illness as a deserved ‘punishment for criminal, immoral, or socially unacceptable

behavior’”. If the reader had actually read this book they would know that it is an actual diary

that was found after the owner had committed suicide. In this case, it was not written to portray

anything. It was written for personal use, and is thus unfair to make such a claim. If the reader

was aware of this, the authors could lose credibility.

Richmond is able to draw a line between their factual research and their opinion:

“Research in psychology reports that there are many stereotypes about individuals with

mental illness; often, they are considered incompetent, dangerous, and responsible for their own

illnesses. If someone with a mental illness applies such beliefs to the self, that person can

develop lower self esteem, which can in turn affect how the individual behaves and feels.”

In this quote, we see Richmond’s line of thought as they state a fact, and then an opinion

based off of that fact that the reader is able to logically follow.

Though both of these articles were written by credible sources, the first article was

written in a style that is much more effective for its purpose. The simple language and structure

allows the reader to easily follow along with the author’s line of reasoning. The article by
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Ginsberg and Jacks is less likely to persuade the audience, as they have a much more convoluted

structure, more complex language, and a slightly biased undertone at times that lessens their

credibility.
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Works Cited

(n.d.). Retrieved from ​https://www.apa.org/pubs/

Ginsberg, Ricki, and Haley Jacks. “‘You Consider Letting Go:’ Intersections of Mental Health

and Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors in Popular Young Adult Literature.” ​The

ALAN Review​, 2020. ​EBSCO​,

eds.b.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=e0e8f7e2-5e95-41e3-a3cc-ebd

e87f5af37%40pdc-v-sessmgr01.

Richmond, Kia. “Language and Symptoms of Mental Illness in Young Adult Literature.” ​DR.

BICKMORE’S YA WEDNESDAY​, 23 Aug. 2017,

www.yawednesday.com/blog/language-and-symptoms-of-mental-illness-in-young-adult-l

iterature.