Hello!

I’m James Withey (pronounced with-e).

I live in Brighton in the UK, very close to the sea, with my husband and rescue cats.

I’m the author of seven books about mental health and mental illness.

My latest book, How to Sort your Self Esteem, comes out on the 7th November 2024. You can pre-order it now.

I make self help books funny - yes really!

My books are published all over the world - in eleven languages and in fourteen different countries.

I am the author of the best selling book How to Tell Depression to Piss Off, published by Little, Brown.

The sequel to How to Tell Depression to Piss Off, titled How to Tell Anxiety to Sod Off, was published in Jan 2022 with Little, Brown - also best selling.

My fifth book How to Get to Get to Grips with Grief was published by Little, Brown in 2022.

My sixth book How to Smash Stress was published in April 2023.

I’m the co-editor of The Recovery Letters book published in 2017 by Jessica Kingsley with Olivia Sagan. It is a collection of letters from people around the world living with depression, writing to those experiencing depression.

I’m the founder of The Recovery Letters Project which inspired the book. It publishes letters online.

What I Do to Get Through How to Run, Swim, Cycle, Sew, or Sing Your Way Through Depression was published on the 18th Feb 2021. Inside are accounts from people living with all types of depression and writing about hobbies and activities have helped them manage their illness.

I live with depression, anxiety, OCD and PTSD. I’m a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, childhood grief, suicide attempts and anorexia (it’s a long list of pretty crap stuff to be honest). I also speak publicly about these topics and mental health, mental illness and grief, but with a BIG dollop of humour thrown in.

I trained as a person centred counsellor and spent twenty years working in social care. I managed homeless services, delivered group work sessions, worked in residential drug and alcohol rehabilitations, provided counselling in gay men’s services and latterly I wrote and delivered training courses.

I have been interviewed about my work by The Huffington Post, Yahoo Lifestyle, TUC magazine, Psychologies Magazine, Women’s Health, North magazine, Dubai Eye Radio, Radio City Liverpool, Andy Cope’s podcast, BBC Radio Scotland, Proper Mental podcast, BBC Radio Surrey & Sussex BBC World Service, BBC News, on Cosmic Shambles with Robin Ince & Josie Long, RTE, and twice on BBC Radio 4.

I’ve written about mental health for Vanity Fair, Psychologies Magazine, Mirror, Take a Break, Female First, PsychReg and Therapy Today.