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.
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Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people around the world through words and poetry.
It is undeniable that putting thoughts, feelings and emotions into words, on paper, can be both therapeutic and an incredibly effective method of self-help and healing
"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 suffering from mental health challenges, and help you cope through words and poetry."
About ...
"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, eight 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!"
ROBIN BARRATT - Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
OUT NOW!
PTSD - Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
A collection of personal stories and poetry about life and living with PTSD.
Available from Amazon websites worldwide as a larger format 6 x 9 inch (15.24 x 22.86 cm) paperback and Kindle, and directly from us as a pdf e-book.
ISBN: 9798255872770
277 pages
109 contributors
Over 29 countries represented.
NEW - This Week's Featured Poetry (x3)
Week commencing Monday 4th May, 2026.
MAY, IN OUR WORLD
By Maddi Smith-Nelson
May is Taurus time.
Blooms of love, bluebells
shading under emerald trees.
No time for decay.
Breath of spring, like love,
chasing demons of winter away.
The World is no longer
encased in cold and storm.
The weather, under reform,
like the thoughts that screech
away from the summer wind.
The gods of warmth
are on our side.
As our world waxes away
from its pale and dark side,
so do our thoughts
warm like cinnamon bread.
The ghouls of anguish and cold
are finally dead.
When they rise like thoughts,
as the darkness comes,
ride them with the warmth of your heart,
the gold dust of the Sun.
THE SWORDS I CARRY
By Alyssa
When I write these words,
I’m not just speaking—
I’m bleeding.
Each feeling is a sword
turned inward,
cutting through parts of me
I’m still trying to understand.
The sword of being unloved—
of giving so much
and never feeling it returned.
The sword of a love
I never knew—
a mother’s love
I still ache for,
the kind I would trade anything
just to feel once.
The sword of being a burden,
of walking into rooms
where no one really sees me
as human …
just something to carry,
or something to ignore.
The sword of never being enough—
of trying, and trying,
and still being underestimated,
still being overlooked
like I’m easy to forget.
The sword of wanting him
when he does not want me—
and the quiet question
that follows me everywhere:
*am I that unlovable?*
These swords pierce me,
again and again,
and my heart keeps bleeding
like it doesn’t know
how to stop.
I am already weak…
but somehow
I keep moving.
They say one day
someone will come
and take the swords away,
will finally see me,
will finally choose me.
But even then—
I’m still here,
still longing
for the one
who never did.
STAY BECAUSE
By Tyler Kent
Don’t stay because of recycled quotes.
Those “everything happens for a reason” lines
have been repeated so many times
they barely even sound like real words anymore.
Stay because your closet is still full
of clothes you keep meaning to donate.
Don’t stay because your life is a gift.
Stay because there’s still ice cream in the freezer.
Don’t stay because people would be devastated.
Stay because dogs know how to tell you it’s gonna be okay
without saying a word.
Don’t stay waiting for life to suddenly make sense.
Stay because the hoodie you lost four months ago
is still somewhere in your closet.
Don’t stay because you’re “strong.”
Stay because you’re stubborn.
Don’t stay because people depend on you.
Stay because your water bottle still has room for more stickers.
Stay because who’s gonna remind people how good it feels to put a stray shopping cart back where it goes.
Stay because your hands still know how to make things.
Even if it’s just coffee.
Even if it’s just a sandwich.
Even if it’s just a mess.
Don’t stay because life is beautiful every second.
It isn’t.
Stay because it’s weird.
Stay because it’s unfinished.
Stay because some of it’s sacred
and some of it’s unbelievably stupid.
Stay because there are still
movies to judge,
animals to pet,
food to get too excited about,
and more sides of you
still to uncover.
Stay because the future hasn’t happened.
Stay because there are still a few things left
that you’d hate to miss.
Stay because the world is heavy and ridiculous and human,
and it would be less interesting
without you here to see what happens next.
ABOUT THE POEM: “'Stay Because' is about finding small, ordinary reasons to keep going when the bigger reasons feel too heavy or too far away. I wrote it to move away from polished inspirational phrases and toward the simple, human things that can help someone make it to the next moment."
ABOUT TYLER: Tyler is a writer and founder of The Uncarried, a community-led suicide prevention and mental health awareness effort in Dothan, Alabama. Through writing and community outreach, Tyler focuses on emotional honesty, presence, and making it safer for people to say when they’re not okay.
Facebook: @tyler.kent.319
Lots more Featured Poetry here:
Our Books
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 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 ...
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.
Newsletter ...
What's new at Poetry for Mental Health - Newsletter, April 2026.
AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD SHORTLY
Send us your name and email address and we'll keep you updated with what's new at
Poetry for Mental Health, plus calls for submissions for our titles and website. 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 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.