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

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

The Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying, "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."

"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," she added.

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.

She also considered the examples of Dementors, the depressing spirits, which are used to help teenagers develop strategies to prevent mental illness.

Puzzles, games and secret messages have been used to keep depression, anger, anxiety and grief at bay for children reading the book, she further added. (With Inputs from Agencies)