Harry Potter The 'New Prozac'

[matcom]

<snip>

HARRY Potter is the "new Prozac", helping beat teen depression and suicide, an academic says.

A paper on the popular book character, Harry Potter: The New Prozac, says Harry Potter helps counsel young readers about depression and anxiety. The paper, by Deakin University's Anna Beth McCormack, will be presented at Flinders University's Harry Potter Conference, which started yesterday.

It highlights how the third book in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, makes understanding depression simple for kids through the characters, the dementors and boggarts.

The dementors represent depression and anxiety and the boggarts change shape to become whatever you fear most, be it a bully or a spider.

The dementors are overcome by thinking good thoughts.

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,9295582%255E401,00.html

[Wickerman]

1. Gee, back in my day

my parents told me to think of my favorite things, and then I didn't feel so bad. Whiskers on kittens and snow on eyelashes, that sort of thing. Maybe a 400 page book is a more effective remedy than a 5 minute show tune :shrug:. I will say the favorite things didn't work worth a damn.

[LibInternationalist]

2. Calling reading the "new" anything is asinine

I'd have to guess that children have been reading to understand their feelings and how to deal with them for a hell of a lot longer than Prozac has existed -- news, my ass