It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

() A great illustration of modern, less-understood mental diseases. It's based on a brief, true part of the author's own life.
The story follows a clinically depressed teenage boy. The story starts off in middle school where the boy, Craig, studies hard to get into a prestigious high school. He gets in, but struggles to stay. The stress of both school work and social factors causes depression, and the depression causes various health hazards. He eventually gets help and medication. But it's only a matter of time until he experiments with his medicinal 'needs'. Without the meds, he contemplates suicide, and ends up in the local hospital's mental ward. It is here that he really finds himself, his life, and his first serious girlfriend.
It's a story of growth and reconstruction. It's original, funny, realistic, and wholesome - without being predictable.