Reading developmental disorders and mental health Issues in literature differently

Lesnik-Oberstein, K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4970-0556 (2026) Reading developmental disorders and mental health Issues in literature differently. Elements Health Humanities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (In Press)

Abstract/Summary

Developmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, bipolarity or schizophrenia are mostly read in terms of how well (how accurately) they are represented (or not). But this relies, first, on having the knowledge to make such assessments and, second, on ideas about the interpretation of literature. These two key issues produce ongoing difficulties because critics disagree in their assessments: everyone’s knowledge or lived experience is not the same. The interpretations of (literary) texts therefore also vary. This Element demonstrates that (literary) texts instead can be read differently: each chapter focusses on a specific literary text in relation to ADHD, ASD, anxiety/ depression and psychosis respectively and argues that representation is not necessarily the most helpful basis on which to read, nor to think about or work with developmental disorders and/ or mental illness more widely.