I think John Kirwan is the best thing to happen to mental health ever..I am a nurse of fifty years and one of the most frustrating thing for me professionally is the inability of grown men to admit they have depression. Johns manner and approach is wonderful. He is succeeding I'm sure where no one else has been game enough to try..

@Pete #7: Good point, and there may be better ways of getting the message across. But the ads are targeted at people who are suffering from depression. I couldn't give a toss if supposedly mentally healthy people don't like the ads. People without bacterial infections probably don't like taking anti-biotics either.

What I object to is the lack of understanding shown by Aitken and Kenny. I still believe Kirwan is an excellent model for the issue. I certainly prefer his to the Aubrey series of ads.

The more recent ads about "the dark places" are also effective. But to me, and to many, the big thing about the JK ads is that it is a personal story. It is someone sharing something deeply personal. It creates a connection. And believe me, connection is the thing people suffering from depression need more than anything else. Especially when the tendency is to shut themselves away.

Mental illness is an epidemic in this country. Men are particularly affected.

There is one thing I can tell you for certain - the type of interaction created by the JK ads is enormously therapeutic. When they first came on, I regarded them as being genuine life-savers. So maybe I am a little biased there.

The only factors to consider when deciding whether these ads should stay or not: Are people genuinely suffering from depressive or mental illness finding them helpful? Are they worth the money?

I wonder - perhaps the people who don't like it should just harden up.

Just because JK has helped the issue, in the past, doesn't mean that another approach couldn't do a better job now.

This is an appalling letter. Kenny - you may claim to suffer from depression, but you have absolutely no understanding of it. You don't have the faintest inkling of the hole you can find yourself in.

I have suffered from mental illness for over 20 years, and have settled on more or less permanent medication, but still have periods where the darkness returns.

There have been many ads about mental illness over the years. JK's ones are the first I have ever identified with. It may be that there is a generation who don't identify with him as a national hero.

But it is mostly the little things in the ad. Comments about holding on to hope, about finding the little things, actively making time to do something good, and about how great it is out the other side.

People generally don't understand depression. They make facile and uninformed comments like "just cheer up". Depression is not about feeling sad. It is about not feeling at all. It is about loss of self.

And this idiot's association of hope with the intermittent reinforcement of gambling is nothing short of offensive.

I do suffer from depression. The Dark Beast never leaves, but is usually kept under control.

The write also fails to understand the basic idea behind the ads. Successful family men who seem to have it all may just be in the depths of despair.

Consider this - at one point, after trying to come off medication, my depression was becoming physical and was threatening to stop me working altogether. On the day I decided to go back into therapy and go back onto medication, a colleague said to me "How do you always manage to stay so cheerful". That cheered me up - it was the funniest thing I had heard in ages.

Depression is largely invisible. It is horrible, disabling and most people just don't understand it.

What a shocking letter. I understand that the Kirwan ads have been huge in assisting many males with the issues of depression.

What a depressing letter.

I absolutely agree with David's letter. I find this adversitment with JK rather disturbing especially that horrible music/sound effect at the back when JK is talking about his life. The second it comes on I change channels. By the way I have depression and the best thing to do is to stop dwelling on yourself and get your mind off yourself! Go running, walking or whatever just to stop thinking of YOU!

Hey, guess what, if you don't like what's on TV, turn it off and do something useful. Having a whinge and moan in the paper about not liking an advertisement seems a waste of time to me. What happened to personal responsibility? If you choose to watch TV, you choose to watch adverts and promos. As far as I'm aware there is no advertising rule that adverts should comply with the tastes and preferences of a certain letter-writer in Chch.

am curious David, do you or have you siuffered from this issue? If so maybe it's time for some more help, if not then be thankful you don't cause if you did you may actually appreciate the ads. Sorry there are no bikini girls (beer), no explosions (XT), so fast cars (headaches) sorry it's a little too boring for you