TRIGGER WARNING!
This website contains poetry and true stories about trauma, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, depression and other significant mental health issues, as well as personal stories of emotional neglect and physical and sexual abuse, which some people might find disturbing.
Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people with mental health challenges by motivating and inspiring them to write poetry.
FUNDRAISING
It's Feb. 2025, and the time to fundraise, so PLEASE donate - if everyone donated just £10.00 this year - (the equivalent to just 20 UK pence [30 US cents] a week!), we can carry on promoting, publishing and showcasing poetry for mental health into 2026. Please press the DONATE button for £10.00 (GBP), or the
PayPal button
for a different amount, or click the Crowdfunding GoFundMe
link. Together we can keep supporting people around the world through words and poetry! Thank you.
Poetry for Mental Health
"Poetry for Mental Health has supported thousands of people around the world through words and poetry!"
"Formed at the outbreak of COVID by helping people cope mentally by inspiring them to write poetry; four years, six books, hundreds of poets, and thousands of pieces of poetry later, we are still inspiring people to write poetry for positive mental health! With around 1400 visitors now each and every month, Poetry for Mental Health is now probably the largest and most visited website for poetry and mental health on the net!"
ROBIN BARRATT
Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
"No matter what your age, background and experience, culture or identity; whether an established writer with many published titles to your credit, or an aspiring poet who has never written a word of poetry in your life, our philosophy here is to embrace, welcome and support everyone, everywhere suffering from mental health challenges, and help you cope through words and poetry ... Get writing!"
This Weekend's Featured Poetry
22nd February, 2025
ODE TO THE SILENT SURVIVORS
By Shyla Register
Oh, how it may not be all men,
But it's enough men, enough to cause pain.
To shatter innocence and leave scars unseen,
A 14-year-old girl, just a child, left in disbelief.
Four grown men, holding her down,
Forcing open her mouth, pouring Fireball down,
Laughing at her pain, mocking her screams,
Leaving her haunted by cinnamon dreams.
It's been almost 10 years, yet the taste lingers still,
Taking her back to that night, against her will.
Silent she stays, haunted by sleepless nights,
Nightmares creeping in, stealing her light.
1 in 4 women, assaulted by men,
Silenced by fear, unable to mend.
Their stories untold, their wounds unseen,
But their strength and resilience, forever keen.
To the silent survivors, we hear your cries,
Your pain, your trauma, never denied.
May you find peace, may you find light,
In a world where darkness once took flight.
23rd February, 2025
WHAT AM I LIKE?
By Susannah Chatfield
Do I fade into the scenery or stand out from the crowd?
Am I timid and fearful or obnoxious and loud?
Am I raucous or silent? Imposing or meek?
Do I never stop talking or struggle to speak?
Am I hard to remember? Is it hard to forget me?
What am I like?
It depends when you met me.
More Featured Poetry ...
On the themes of mental health, from poets around the world.
Poetry by: Shyla Register, Kelly Maida, Alex Vorhies, Kristian Ford, John Moody, Emmi-Heléna Daals, Acton Bell, Lynette Lim, Iris Taylor, Emily Astey, R. Schilke, Ruth Zwald, Maryellen Polikoff, Norma Zimmermann, Caroline Allen, Riley M. Frank, John Tunaley, Ashe, Mike Whiting, Gary Shulman, Abby Alexander, Ella Grimes, Sara Ponferrada Reed, Wynn Vu, Harriet Coppard, Mike Gosalia, Rabindra Anselm Mariathasan, Pam Ski, Garima Sachdev Kapoor, Joan Kantor, Jamie Gannon, Susannah Chatfield, Emma Follett, Nigel Pinhorn, Boakesey, Bella Hope Smith, Milena Dimitrova, Nivedita Karthik, Annette Towler, Lana, Tara Reyes, Donna McCabe, Tony Cooney, Peter W. Morris, Mark Andrew Heathcote, Paul Parker, Angus Shoor Caan, Duane Anderson, Shahida, Joan McNerney, C.W. Blackburn, David T. Culkin, John F. Zurn, Christine Botros, Francis H. Powell, Simon Drake, Dionne Risley, Roo Newsome, Sherri Levine, Kathleen Chamberlin, Tandra Mishra, Caroline Berry, Angela Masciale, Chris Stokes, Reno Mcgreggor Connelly, Vatsala Radhakeesoon, Martin Embree, Dan Healy, Tadgh Quill-Manley, Reuben Scott, Paulette Hampton, Dr. Sabrina Rubin, Donna Crossno, Sasha Irwin, Bella Hope Smith, Lindsay Walter, Dale "Coyote" Johnson, Jennifer L. Alukonis, Alexander A. Henning, Emma Welch, Sophie Squires, Chris McClelland, Sasha Irwin, Faiqa Ali Chughtai, Hari Berrow,
Annie Walsh, Andrea Mitchell, Victoria Fitzgerald, Mohammed Ali, Chad Boucher, Jason Kirk Bartley, Zack Benz, Jordan Claeys, Nicole Crossno, Valentina Fulginiti, Ethan Boyd, Heidi Hildeman, Oscar Lozano, Anthony Ward, Prudence Sage Massaria, Cynthia Foss, Addie Suter, Dionne Risley, David M. White, PhD, Melissa W. Sorgi, Kyra Merryman, Hilary Canto,Amelia May Hart, Reese, Anneli Knight, Keila Cruz, Bhagvati Patel, Cynthia Foss, Amber Roeder, April Bulmer, Chelsea Garcia, Trish Lundy, Divya Paliwal, Jeanette Stephenson, Luke Preston, Autumn Johnson, Amy Harris, Braxsen Sindelar, Kristen Moody, Sindy Stern, Sam Hendrian, Deby Cedars, Kiran Harrar, William Gray, Ruben Smith, Crystal Hall, Diane Kennedy, Phil Griffiths, Nadine Dunseith, Cynthia Foss, Titan Sanchez, Alex Turner, Brielle Hoban, Aviva Lilith, Spruce Craft, Frea Wooten, Tim Boardman, Rosalynn Gildart, April Bartaszewicz, Prudence Massaria, Howa Ramadan, Brodeigh Pearce, Charity Louise, Sasha Pavlovic, Haley Headrick, Trisha Lawty, Noor Yousif, Hannah Louise MacFarlane, Basil Kaye, Malachy Mackel, G.S. Yarbro, Sanda Ristić Stojanović, Bobby Z, Binod Dawadi, Fredua A .Boateng, C.W. Blackburn, James Aitchison, Anthony Lanza, Natalie Hussey, Kiran Harrar, and Amanda Hancock.
"Why is poetry so very good for people with mental health challenges? Because it helps them see the world in their own way, and in a way that makes sense to them.."
Robin Barratt
Books
Click on the covers for further details of all our titles. With thousands of contributions from hundreds of writers and poets around the world, our anthologies are probably some of the largest collections on mental health ever published. Please buy a copy -
ALL
profits from the sales of our titles go towards promoting and publishing poetry for positive mental health.
PLUS: POSSIBLE BOOK PROJECTS FOR 2025
- MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH - Interviews, personal stories, short prose, and poetry focusing on men's mental health.
- WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH - Interviews, personal stories, short prose, and poetry focusing on women's mental health.
- MENTAL HEALTH WITHIN THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY - Interviews, personal stories, short prose, and poetry focusing on mental health within the LGBTQIA+
“"No matter how bad something may seem at that moment in time when you feel all is lost, it can get better if you can only give it more time."
Lynda Tavakoli
Personal Journeys
In their own words, poets and writers write about their own personal journey with mental health.
Interviews
Poetry for Mental Health chats to writers and poets about their journey with mental health.
NEW - Articles
Articles about poetry and positive mental health. MORE ONLINE SHORTLY.
Featured Poets
Featuring over 50 poets around the world, with up to six pieces of their work, and a little about the author and the stories behind their work.
"People can benefit from writing poetry because it can take the images and the talk in your head and transfer it to paper. It’s like getting the words out of your head so that they don’t linger there."
Nadine Dunseith
Directory of Support Services
Charities, groups and organisations worldwide offering mental health help and support to people in crisis.
Mental Health First Aid
Identifying warning signs of common mental health crisis, and how to guide a person towards safety and appropriate help. Read more ...
NEW - Classifieds
A great way to advertise your mental health related products and services to a global audience.
Donate
Please donate and keep Poetry for Mental Health running for yet another year.
Publishing Services
A fast, inexpensive way of getting your book independently self-published in paperback and Kindle, and distributed via your own global Amazon KDP platform.
Newletter
Be kept updated with our news and calls for submissions.
NOTE ON CONTRIBUTIONS: We publish mental health poetry from around the world, and for a number contributors to this website, English is not their first language. Unlike some other platforms, we don't heavily edit a poet's own work (if we did, it would then not be their own work!), so please focus on a poet's messages and meanings, and not necessarily on any grammatical mistakes or translated imperfections that may arise within their contribution.