Fight depression the Harry Potter way!

An Australian psychologist has used the world of Harry Potter to suggest ways of dealing with teenage depression. Harry Potter Power aims to equip youngsters to...

An Australian psychologist has used the world of Harry Potter to suggest ways of dealing with teenage depression in her new book.

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Dr Julie-Anne Sykley’s Harry Potter Power aims to equip youngsters to cope with emotions such as anger, depression and grief.

"I found there was a lot of special hidden material in the (Harry Potter) books and lots of empowering psychological messages that could help people," the Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying.

She added: "I sense young people really need some help and guidance to boost their resilience and help them make positive and empowering choices in their life."

Sykley, who is based in Cairns, cites the magical hippogriff creature in the Harry Potter series, written by J.K Rowling, as a symbol of hope in her work. Also, Dementors, the depressing spirits, are used to help teenagers develop strategies to prevent mental illness.

Sykley said: "It’s a great way to introduce the concept of depression".

She added that puzzles, games and secret messages have been used to keep depression, anger, anxiety and grief at bay for children reading the book.

Sykley’s book is aimed at 12 year-olds and above.

The book published by Interactive Publications recently hit stores.