These short stories about mental health focus on characters struggling with psychological distress—depression, long-term mental illness, madness, trauma, or states of mental strain that push them toward breakdown or instability.
In some stories, the reader is given direct access to a character’s altered perceptions; in others, mental illness is shown through its effects on relationships, behavior, and daily life. Several stories involve institutional settings, caregivers, or encounters with psychologists and psychiatrists, while others explore quieter forms of isolation, fear, grief, or obsessive thinking.
This list includes stories suitable for students as well as darker or more disturbing works intended for mature readers. As with any material dealing with mental illness, judgment and context matter. Some stories are emotionally demanding or depict outdated attitudes toward psychological conditions.
Use this page to find short stories about depression, mental illness, madness, insanity, and psychological struggle across a wide range of styles, periods, and perspectives.
Short Stories About Mental Health
“The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether” by Edgar Allan Poe
While traveling in France, a narrator visits an asylum he’s heard uses a “system of soothing” with minimal punishment or confinement. His host tells him that approach has been abandoned, and the narrator stays for dinner. (Summary of “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”)
“Winky” by George Saunders
Neil Yanicky attends a self-help conference where the audience wears paper hats indicating how much help they need. As the founder tells his own success story and a scene plays out on stage, Neil’s thoughts turn to his sister and what’s holding him back. (Summary of “Winky”)
“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
A woman’s doctor husband confines her to an upstairs room, calling her condition a “hysterical tendency” and “nervous depression.” She records the experience in her journal, and the treatment does not improve her condition. (Summary of “The Yellow Wallpaper”)
“The Wolves of Circassia” by Daniel Mason
Seine is a home care worker living with an older couple, their grown son and grandson. The old man doesn’t remember his family anymore and says the same things every day. The old man and his grandson are most comfortable with each other. (Summary of “The Wolves of Circassia”)
“Beyond the Bayou” by Kate Chopin
An African-American woman, La Folle, was frightened “out of her senses” as a child. As a result, she won’t cross an imaginary line in her area; she has never been beyond the bayou. (Summary of “Beyond the Bayou”)
“Alicia” by Gabrielle Roy
A woman tells the story of her older sister Alicia’s mental illness. They’re close but Alicia is very withdrawn. (Summary of “Alicia”)
“They Call Me Hurricane” by Rocky Callen
Aida “the Hurricane” Maya is a boxer, the only girl on her team. She struggles with depression, but her routines and medication help. She’s hoping to get into the Golden Gloves Tournament.
This story can be read in the preview of Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe
The narrator visits his friend Roderick who, along with his sister, is suffering from an unusual illness. Roderick’s sister dies, so the narrator helps him entomb her in the house before a permanent burial is arranged.
Read “The Fall of the House of Usher”
“Sticks” by George Saunders
A father has a pole in his yard that he dresses according to the occasion. He’s a stingy man and his family lives on edge. (Summary & Analysis of “Sticks”)
“Game” by Donald Barthelme
Two soldiers monitor an underground console with instructions to turn their activation keys if certain data is received. Their expected relief hasn’t arrived and they’re feeling the strain of the confinement. (Summary of “Game”)
“Gimpel the Fool” by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Gimpel, an adult orphan working as a baker’s assistant, admits he’s “easy to take in,” and the villagers exploit that. When he considers leaving, they pressure him into marrying Elka, a prostitute.
“Now I Lay Me” by Ernest Hemingway
Nick Adams lies awake night after night, afraid that if he closes his eyes in the dark his soul will leave his body. To pass the time, he imagines fishing streams in detail, prays, and tries to remember everything that’s happened to him, especially before and after the war. (Summary of “Now I Lay Me”)
“The Moustache” by Robert Cormier
Mike, seventeen-years-old, is going to Lawnrest Nursing Home to visit his grandmother. She has a chronic circulatory disease and a badly fading memory. He isn’t eager to make the visit, uncertain if his grandmother will be having one of her bad days.
“Brothers” by Sherwood Anderson
The narrator lives at his country house, twenty miles from Chicago. An old man in the area, who people call insane, always claims to be related to the people in news stories. The Chicago papers are reporting that a man murdered his wife for no apparent reason.
This is the second story in the preview of 100 Years of the Best American Short Stories.
“Black Man and White Woman in Dark Green Rowboat” by Russell Banks
During a heat wave, a man and woman go out on a boat and discuss a major decision that the woman has made. (Summary)
“Mr. Tallent’s Ghost” by Mary Webb
A lawyer gets roped into taking on a client, Mr. Tallent, who wants to have his novels published when he dies. Mr. Tallent’s novels are extremely boring and unimaginative. The lawyer, and some others, end up dealing with considerable mental strain. (Summary of “Mr. Tallent’s Ghost”)
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe
An unnamed narrator describes how he killed a man; he tries to convince his listener of his sanity and wisdom. He believed his boarder, an old man, watched him with an “Evil Eye.”
“The Decapitated Chicken” by Horacio Quiroga
Mazzini and Berta have four developmentally disabled sons, aged eight to twelve. They spend most of the day sitting on a bench in their own filth. Their parents’ relationship has deteriorated, as each wants to blame the other for their sons’ condition. They’re hesitant to have any more children.
Warning: This is a rough one. It can be read in the preview of The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories.
“He” by Katherine Anne Porter
The Whipples live in poverty and have three children, one of them mute and mentally challenged, the He of the title. Mrs. Whipple hates being pitied, and takes every opportunity to praise the boy. She is always worried about what everyone else will think of her.
“Colloquy” by Shirley Jackson
Mrs. Arnold goes to a doctor and asks how to tell if someone is crazy. She then relates a story of her husband getting upset when he couldn’t get his daily paper.
“For Esmé—with Love and Squalor” by J. D. Salinger
The narrator, unable to attend a wedding, writes about the bride and their earlier meeting. He recalls being in Devon with American forces in 1944 and encountering thirteen-year-old Esmé after hearing a children’s choir practice in a church.
“First Light” by Robert Russell Sassor
A mother sits at a hospital bed, reminiscing about her son who lies there. His face is partially covered with bandages. Later, the mother receives some visitors at home, to help her through this time.
“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe
The narrator, a condemned man, relates how he came to blind and, later, kill a cat due to his loss of control from drinking. A second cat eventually came into his home, causing a further escalation of hostilities.
“Lamb of God” by Patricia Abbott
Kyle’s mother first tried to kill him when he was nine. He was afraid every day. She had a mental imbalance and was always trying to keep him close to God.
“Signs and Symbols” by Vladimir Nabokov
An elderly couple intend to visit their son in a mental institution, but because of a recent suicide attempt, they are not allowed to see him. The husband decides to remove the son from the facility.
“Spirits” by James A. Moore
Dan is drinking again to cope with his depression. Tyler has helped him with this before. They met because each of their wives was killed in the same accident by a tractor-trailer. They bonded over their grief. Early on, it was Dan who was able to provide more help.
“Today I Am Paul” by Martin L. Shoemaker
A Medical Care Android tends to Mildred as her condition worsens, and she believes her son Paul is with her. The android emulates Paul using an expensive add-on, while still overriding the emulation if Mildred’s health is at risk.
“Sunrise on Mercury” by Robert Silverberg
As a ship approaches Mercury, Second Astrogator Lon Curtis abruptly leaves his post and heads toward the reactor compartment. Flight Commander Ross follows, realizing Curtis has an illness that will require confinement.
“The Diary of a Madman” (or “Lunatic”) by Leo Tolstoy
The narrator insists he isn’t mad despite having been evaluated before a provincial board. He traces his state to childhood incidents and describes a sudden shift into hatred and anguish during a trip to view an estate he might buy.
“The Legend of Miss Sasagawara” by Hisaye Yamamoto
In a Japanese relocation camp, the narrator and her friend become curious about Miss Sasagawara, a former ballet dancer who is aloof and volatile. She reacts sharply to others, rarely engages, and her devoted Buddhist-minister father keeps to his prayer routines.
“The Idiots” by Joseph Conrad
Near Ploumar, a narrator hears about a family with four children described as having the same condition, living with their grandmother on a farm. He learns the family’s story from multiple sources, beginning with Jean-Pierre returning from military service, marrying Susan, and starting a family.
“Her Sweet Jerome” by Alice Walker
Mrs. Washington, who owns a beauty parlor behind her father’s funeral home, marries a younger schoolteacher she’s determined to care for. Their relationship is violent, and later gossip she hears affects her badly.
“Harvey’s Dream” by Stephen King
An aging man tells his wife about the vivid dream he had last night.
“Under the Weather” by Stephen King
Brad wakes from a recurring bad dream and quietly takes the dog out, careful not to wake his unwell wife, Ellen. Over the day—amid news of a foul smell in a neighbor’s suite—he moves through work and memories, reflecting on key moments in his life.
“Lunch at the Gotham Café” by Stephen King
Steven Davis reels after his wife leaves him and seeks a divorce, and a lunch meeting is set with lawyers to discuss details. The day spirals, and the maître d’ appears mentally unstable.
“Memory” by Stephen King
After a catastrophic construction accident, Edgar Freemantle loses his right arm, some sight, and much of his memory, and his recovery is brutal. His psychologist, Xander Kamen, works with him on rebuilding his memory and urges him to take up an old hobby again. (Read “Memory”) (PDF)
“Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes
A mentally retarded man undergoes a procedure to vastly increase his intelligence. He keeps a diary of his progress and personal interactions. (Read “Flowers for Algernon”)
“Making a Change” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Julia is a new mother and her baby cries often. Her husband, Frank, is annoyed with the situation, as is his mother, who also lives with them. She claims she knows how to stop the crying, but Julia wants to do her duty as a mother herself. Julia used to be a musician but doesn’t play anymore. Everyone agrees that there has to be a change. Julia’s thoughts start to get desperate.
“Average Waves in Unprotected Waters” by Anne Tyler
Bet Blevins is bringing her nine-year-old, mentally handicapped son, Arnold, to an institution.
“The Diary (Memoirs) of a Madman” by Nikolai Gogol
A middle-aged government clerk keeps a diary that includes the times he is marginalized by others, with his fanciful explanations for what’s really happening. His perceptions become increasingly outrageous as he loses grip on reality. (Read “The Diary of a Madman”)
“Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases” by Lars Gustafsson
A mentally retarded boy is sent to an institution at age seven. He misses his old life on a farm, but tries to adjust to his new routine.
“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst
The narrator, Brother, reminisces about the time a rare bird landed in his family’s garden, and about his brother, Doodle, who was physically disabled and mentally challenged.
“Silver Water” by Amy Bloom
Violet tells the story of her sister Rose who suffers from schizophrenia and had her first psychotic break at fifteen. Rose is taken to many therapists with mixed results. When she goes to Dr. Thorne, she begins to make some progress.
“Night” by Tatyana Tolstaya
Mamochka is eighty-years-old and looks after her middle-aged retarded son, Alexie. She gets him through his daily routine, sets up his work space, and tries to guide his interactions with others.
“Silent Snow, Secret Snow” by Conrad Aiken
Paul, twelve-years-old, becomes distracted with the postman’s muffled footsteps; Paul thought they were muffled by snow. When he looked out the window, there was no snow. He can’t stop thinking about this “secret snow”, increasing his alienation from the world.
“The Key” by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Bessie Popkin prepares to go out for some food shopping. She gets into her clothes, does her hair, and makes sure her neighbors don’t break in and steal her things. She has paranoid complaints about many people she has come in contact with.
“The Lost Phoebe” by Theodore Dreiser
Henry and Phoebe are an aging couple who live on a farm. They only have each other; when Phoebe dies, it has a bad effect on Henry’s mental state.
“Midair” by Frank Conroy
A boy’s erratic father suddenly appears at his school and takes him home. Staff from an asylum eventually arrive, and the narrative later jumps ahead to show how similar incidents recur throughout the boy’s life.
“Of This Time, Of That Place” by Lionel Trilling
Joseph Howe is an English instructor at Dwight College. One of his students, Ferdinand Tertan, is intelligent but mentally erratic. Howe, who is also a poet, is attacked in a literary journal as an irresponsible writer.
“Child’s Play” by Alice Munro
An adult narrator recalls her childhood friendship at summer camp and her hostility toward a girl who was different and in a special class. Some unstated tragedy had occurred in her childhood.
“The Man Who Did Not Smile” by Yasunari Kawabata
The author of a screenplay has been watching the filming of his movie for a week. He is inspired to rewrite the last scene, having smiling masks appear all over the screen. The movie is set in a mental hospital, so he thinks he must add a happy ending.
“Trying to Save Piggy Sneed” by John Irving
The narrator became a writer because of his grandmother’s kindness and a retarded garbage collector from his neighborhood when he was young. The man was Piggy Sneed. He lived with his pigs and acted like them too. The children took pleasure in teasing and scaring him. (Read “Trying to Save Piggy Sneed”)
“Feather Your Nest” by Anne O’Brien
Anne makes breakfast and talks to her husband, Declan, about the overgrown pine trees next door. Anne is recovering at home after a breakdown. A few people come to look at the property next door.
“Big Bertha Stories” by Bobbie Ann Mason
Donald comes home, occasionally and unannounced, to see his family. He seemed to adjust after the Vietnam War, but then he lost his job and deteriorated. He tells his son, Rodney, tall tales of Big Bertha, a huge strip-mining machine. The stories start out light but always turn dark.
“Georgy Porgy” by Roald Dahl
A celibate and repressed vicar rebuffs the advances of the many spinsters in his parish. He’s a well-balanced person except for one thing. He’s very uncomfortable with physical contact with women.
“The Good Doctor” by Adam Haslett
A psychiatrist makes a long drive to see a patient who’s been getting her prescriptions renewed by phone. He wants to engage her in some talk therapy and better understand her situation.
“The Sin Eater” by Margaret Atwood
The narrator talks about her therapist, Joseph. He told her about a Wales tradition where a person known as a Sin Eater would be called to eat a meal over a dead body. This would transfer the dead person’s sins to the eater, thus clearing the person’s way to heaven. When Joseph has an accident, the narrator finds out about his life from his ex-wives and other patients.
“Christmas Not Just Once a Year” by Heinrich Boll
A German family still fractured after World War I experiences a domestic crisis when their Christmas tree falls over in 1947. An attempt to solve the problem only deepens the family’s instability.
“Eupompus Gave Splendour to Art by Numbers” by Aldous Huxley
Emberlin is an academic, an encyclopedia of irrelevant information. While researching an obscure quotation, he becomes fixated on numbers and counting to the exclusion of everything else.
“The Second Tree from the Corner” by E. B. White
Mr. Trexler regularly visits a psychiatrist because of dizziness, despondency, and tension among other things.
“Pumpkins” by Francine Prose
A truck full of pumpkins collides with a car, killing the female driver. The report has an effect on several people in the small town.
“The Albatross” by Susan Hill
Duncan, an eighteen-year-old with limited mental ability, lives under the strict control of his mother, who depends on him physically and emotionally. His desire for independence draws him toward the sea and away from her influence.
“The Murderer” by Ray Bradbury
Albert Brock is ushered into a psychiatrist’s office. He calls himself “The Murderer”. He’s been destroying machines lately, especially ones that keep him connected with others. He finds them intrusive and annoying. (Read “The Murderer”)
“New Year for Fong Wing” by Monfoon Leong
Fong and Lee, restaurant workers, get paid. Lee wants to gamble, but Fong is worried about what his wife will think. Fong’s sons were killed in wars, and now he has no male heir. Feeling depressed, he agrees to go gamble with Lee.
“Sleep” by Larry Brown
Louis, an older man, is woken up by his wife, as he is every night. She can hear noises, and he has to check the house. His wife’s sleep has been disturbed for years. He stalls as long as he can, but eventually gives in and gets up.
“Miriam” by Truman Capote
Mrs. Miller is an elderly widow living by herself in New York. She stays close to home and keeps a consistent routine. While standing in line for a movie one night, she meets a young girl, Miriam, which is also Mrs. Miller’s name. A week later, Miriam shows up unannounced at Mrs. Miller’s home.
“The Angel of the Bridge” by John Cheever
A businessman learns that his family members have developed irrational fears—his mother of flying, his brother of tall buildings. When crossing the George Washington Bridge himself, he experiences a sudden and overwhelming reaction.
“Graveyard Shift (Day of Reckoning)” by Richard Matheson
Luke sends his father a note saying the Widow Blackwell has been murdered. Her son, Little Jim, is scared and hiding. He tells his father to send the sheriff and coroner right away. In the next letter, Luke’s father, Sam, informs the Widow Blackwell’s brother of the tragedy.
“The Algorithms for Love” by Ken Liu
Elena gets a weekend leave from an institution to travel with Brad, with strict conditions: medication every four hours and not being left alone. She also designs conversational A.I. dolls, and the work has made her company increasingly successful.
“Idiots First” by Bernard Malamud
Mendel, in pain and short on time, pockets his money and prepares his adult son Isaac—who is mentally much younger—to go out with him. They head to a pawnshop because Mendel needs thirty-five more dollars that very night. (Read “Idiots First”)
Short stories about mental health often reveal inner lives that are difficult to articulate directly. Whether subtle or extreme, these narratives show how psychological suffering shapes perception, relationships, and identity.
Taken together, the stories on this page offer many ways of seeing mental illness. They’re not a single experience, but aa wide spectrum of human struggle, resilience, and misunderstanding. See also: