It is understood that 3 million Australians are living with anxiety and depression and on a global level. That figure is reported by the World Health Organisation to be 300 million and this statistic is increasing at a concerning rate. In a quest to help people and to save lives, Andrew Woodhead and the team at Design Tobias have produced a book called LIGHT. This book has been made using Human-centred design, where the content has been presented and refined in collaboration with our community. Young men and health professionals have provided feedback on how to improve the content of this book and it has been iterated upon over the last 12 months using insights gained for this research.

The book is a beautifully illustrated short story that is effortless to read, providing clear and easy to digest information on how anxiety and depression can manifest and most importantly the activities to try, learn and practice to improve anyone’s mental health. This book is for people in need and anyone supporting someone who is in need. It also contains a Mental Health toolkit which provides information on where to turn for help along with other valuable recommendations that can help people on their road to recovery or to maintain a balanced mindset. The main character in the book is a young man whose journey of deep emotions, behaviours and approaches to experiencing and managing anxiety and depression are encapsulated by high impact illustrations. Accompanying each illustration is headline titles and subtle yet powerful words of advice and guidance. For those with limited time and concentration this is a must buy.