F*ck Depression now available for kids as Kick Depression

F*ck Depression now available for kids as Kick Depression

The F*ck Depression e-book — which has more than 20,000 downloads last year — has been re-released as a child-friendly version called Kick Depression off the back of Mental Health Week.

Last year, 33-year old Jack Stack wrote F*ck Depression, as a blunt, humerous, and, most importantly, scientifically accurate tool for people battling depression — like he did throughout his 20s.

Together with his friend art director Leighton Dyer, they created the little digital book which is free for all as they believe mental health and depression are one of our most pressing national issues, if not the most, of our nation.

Stack was recently asked to write a child-friendly version after a school principal contacted him, having seen one of his pupils with the adult version in class. He asked for a version for children and teenagers, written in a way that they could relate to, to help them deal with their own mental health issues.

Stack says it is an accessible, easy to read, easy to relate to e-book for people to offer with immediate ways they can help alleviate their mood.

“I wrote F*ck Depression last year because 668 people losing their lives to depression was too many. When I went through depression in my mid-20s, I found there were no resources that I connected to, nothing that spoke to me in the language Kiwis spoke in, nothing that said outright, ‘f*ck depression’,” says Stack.

“So, I did a tonne of research into scientifically proven ways to help manage or beat depression and wrote the book. Now, after 20,000 downloads and, at the request of school teachers and parents, I’ve released a free version for teenagers called Kick Depression, without all the swearing and dirty jokes, though I’ve kept the humour and kept it free,” he adds.

“When it comes down to it, a lot of people say ‘we need to talk about depression’ but what would you say if someone comes up to you and tells you that their struggling? Most people won’t know what to say or do. That’s the gap I wanted to fill with F*ck Depression and Kick Depression. They’re full of practical and sound advice, which has been vetted by psychologists and doctors, so that we can all start being proactive in our approach to dealing with a national problem.”

F*ck Depression is available for free from: www.fkdepression.co.nz

Kick Depression is available for free from: www.kickdepression.co.nz

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