"It opened up something in me that needed to be opened and needed to heal," says Elizabeth Russell, a teacher and librarian from the US state of Connecticut. She was going through a rough patch in life when she found bibliotherapy. Bibliotherapy is the use of literature to support people with mental health and wellbeing issues. The benefits of non-fiction, self-help books are well documented – results from 'A meta‐analysis of bibliotherapy studies' suggest this type of bibliotherapy can help with conditions such as anxiety and depression – but what about fiction?“它打开了我内心的东西，需要打开并需要康复，”美国康涅狄格州的老师和图书馆员伊丽莎白·罗素说。 当她发现书目疗法时，她正在经历一段艰难的生活。 书目疗法是使用文献来支持患有心理健康和福祉问题的人。 非小说类，自助书籍的好处是有充分记录的 - “书目疗法研究的荟萃分析”的结果表明，这种类型的书目疗法可以帮助焦虑和抑郁等疾病 - 但是小说呢？

'Creative bibliotherapy' may have similar advantages. Ella Berthoud, well-known bibliotherapist and author of The Novel Cure calls it 'the art of prescribing fiction for life's ailments'. But how does it work? If you were to go to Ella for help, she'd start with a consultation. Then, she says, "I will guide you to books that put a finger on feelings you may often have had, but perhaps never clearly understood before." Proponents of creative bibliotherapy say that immersing oneself in a good book can help readers process emotions, discover coping strategies or even just provide some escapism from life's stresses.“创意书目”可能具有类似的优势。 著名的书本治疗师，小说《治愈》的作者埃拉·伯特德（Ella Berthoud）称其为“为生命疾病开出小说的艺术”。 但是它如何工作？ 如果您要去Ella寻求帮助，她将从咨询开始。 然后，她说：“我将指导您的书籍，这些书对您可能经常有过的感受，但也许以前从未清楚地理解过。” 富有创造力的书目疗法的支持者说，沉浸在一本好书中可以帮助读者处理情感，发现应对策略，甚至只是从生活压力中提供了一些逃避现实。

But some experts worry the benefits of creative bibliotherapy are overhyped. Studies suggest reading may improve things such as empathy and self-confidence, but in terms of treating specific mental health conditions, the evidence is weak. Some stories may even cause harm, particularly if they trigger or reinforce the negative feelings someone wants to escape. It seems bibliotherapy is best used in conjunction with other therapies, rather than as a substitute.但是有些专家担心创意书目疗法的好处被夸大了。 研究表明，阅读可能会改善诸如同理心和自信之类的事情，但是在治疗特定的心理健康状况方面，证据很弱。 有些故事甚至可能造成伤害，特别是如果它们触发或增强人们想要逃脱的负面情绪。 似乎最好的疗法与其他疗法结合使用，而不是替代品。

In the UK, the Reading Agency's Reading Well programme helps people manage their health and wellbeing with books. The books are recommended by health experts and people with lived experience of the topics covered. But, the organisation's head of health and wellbeing, Gemma Jolly, understands that it's "not a one size fits all." She says, "It's about having an additional tool that might work for some people." Will you give bibliotherapy a go?在英国，阅读机构的阅读井计划可帮助人们通过书籍来管理自己的健康和福祉。 这些书是由健康专家和具有涵盖主题经验的人们推荐的。 但是，该组织的健康和福祉负责人，杰玛·乔利（Gemma Jolly）知道，这“不适合所有人”。 她说：“这是关于拥有可能对某些人有用的额外工具。” 您会尝试一下书目疗法吗？