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 abuse, which some people might find upsetting.
POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH MEMBERSHIP & MAGAZINE
With no funding at all, and no sponsorship, we are looking for a way to keep Poetry for Mental Health going, so we are considering introducing a Poetry for Mental Health membership.
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Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people around the world through words and poetry ...
"I formed
Poetry for Mental Health at the outbreak of COVID, as a way of helping people cope mentally through lockdown and the pandemic by inspiring them to write poetry. Six years, nine books, and many thousands of pieces of poetry later,
Poetry for Mental Health
is still inspiring people to write poetry for positive mental health! And with almost 1500 visitors a the month, it
is now probably the largest and most visited website of its kind on the net!"
Poetry for Mental Health has supported thousands of people through words and poetry! No matter what your age, background and experience, culture, nationality, 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, and help you cope through words and poetry.
ROBIN BARRATT - Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
NEW - This Week's Featured Poetry (x3)
Week commencing Monday 05th October, 2026.
DEAR BPD
By Ava Rae
Dear Bpd,
I hate having an empty feeling in my heart
Only feeling fulfilled when I can love another to the extreme.
I hate obsessing over one person
Until nothing means anything, unless they are involved
So consumed by the shallow shell of a lover.
I fixate on them and their schedule and their needs and wants and how my flesh or my consciousness or anything that belongs to me, can benefit them.
I hate the feeling of depriving myself of happiness
But I love my freewill more,
So the cycle continues until I am numb
Because numbness is my version of bliss.
No pain and heavy aching
Where I wish death upon myself,
Simply pure joyful content.
That's why I love hard
Then eventually love even harder
Loving so hard to where it all turns to hate.
I fall to pieces
Because why must I put so much in
And get absolutely nothing back?
Why does it feel as if I'm sinking all of the time?
Never being reciprocated where my mind needs it most.
So I turn cold, I freeze into ice
This time I do not build the boat, I let you drown
This time I laugh as you suffocate begging for air.
So once again
I end up alone by my own doing.
I love being alone, Until I hate it.
Days feel depressing
Life feels fleeting
Months go by
And I sit and stare at my ceiling wondering
About the law of averages
About God's connection to science
About memories that feel so distant
About every stupid mistake ive made
And how I wish I could only go back
Because I've forgotten the other side.
I forget the boat you refused to help me build
I only remember my laughs as you drowned.
In these moments im not scared of death, only myself
In these moments I may as well turn myself in as a murderer
Or as a thief stealing my own right to a future
For stealing our life together,
But you must go.
For if I don't slay the dragon,
The princess will die.
ABOUT AVA: Ava began writing poetry at the age of thirteen. Every day during lunch, she would retreat to the library, sit by herself, and just write. Not long after, Ava was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression. As she grew older, her journey with mental health continued, and she was later diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). She struggled immensely throughout her teenage years and continues to navigate her mental health today. Through these experiences, she's discovered that channeling her emotions into poetry became one of her favorite forms of self expression and self improvement. She recently published her first poetry collection, When Mother Met Father. Which explores her personal journey through mental health, religion, identity, and the complexities of growing up.
PENCIL MARKS
By Lyla Hamilton
Be careful, okay?
Pressing hard with your pencil that way
Press too hard, and it won’t erase
Press too hard, and they’ll always stay
It’s true; what they say
I know, because I pressed too hard today
So now the marks are on display
Which just adds to my dismay
THE EMOTIONAL DIVIDE
By Lisa Taylor
The difference between you and me?
I dared to dig deeper,
finding beauty others could not see.
That is called unconditional love something, thanks to you,
I am no longer worthy of.
Silently,
while drifting further apart,
My soul fractured and splintered
deep in my heart.
Yet, you didn't flinch,
you didn’t give a damn at all just sat back and watched
as I began to stumble,
then fall.
You were the devil in waiting,
brilliantly disguised as my savior.
Teaching me to be a giver
in a world full of takers.
So please,
as a token of my appreciation,
Allow me to leave you
with this humbling realization:
Gone is my unwavering adoration.
Along with your penchant for the color blue.
Both lie buried in the wreckage of our story,
alongside the very best of you.
For time and again, I gave you my all,
in return,
you bestowed the suffering
responsible for this curtain call.
Fortunately for me,
surviving a sickness can be done.
Unfortunately for you,
that ugly heart will haunt you
for many years to come.
As the darkness inside me
begins to lift, then fade,
and the light radiating within me
outshines this shade,
I promise you will wish
you had me by your side.
No one is exempt from this hell
I have come to know so well ...
The emotional divide.
Our Books
Featured Poets
Featuring poets from around the world, with up to six pieces of their work, and a little about the author and the stories behind their work.
And lots more ...
Personal Journeys
In their own words, writers and poets write about their own personal journey with mental health.
Interviews
Ten amazing writers and poets talking about their own personal journey with mental health.
Featured Books
Promoting poetry books and publications.
And lots more ...
Other ...
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.
What's new at Poetry for Mental Health ...
Poetry for Mental Health's newsletter: September, 2026.
Click the button below to download a pdf version.
NEWSLETTER
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Poetry for Mental Health. IMPORTANT: we'll never pass your details onto anyone else ... ever!
Publishing Services
We publish books for other people too!!!
Would you like to see your poetry collection published as a paperback and Kindle, and available for other people to read around the world? Prices start from just £150.00 for a chapbook / short poetry collection. Click on the link for more info. Plus Promoting Your Book- information and advice for promoting and marketing your book. We have published over 100 books for other people. Just a few examples below:
We have published over 100 books for other people. Just a few examples below:
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.