Rugby legend Kirwan tackles COVID-19 mental health

After years battling his own demons, All Black legend John Kirwan is attempting to help fellow Kiwis struggling through COVID-19 lockdown by releasing a mobile phone app he calls "a mental wellbeing coach in your pocket".

The World Cup winning winger broke one of sport's great taboos after a stellar international career when he revealed his struggles with depression, helping explode the myth that on-field glory equates to happiness off the pitch.

"I had medical depression, I was on anti-depressants -- I wanted to jump out of a window one night," Kirwan told AFP in a telephone interview.

"I've got learned experience in this space." Such is Kirwan's passion for speaking out about mental health that when he was knighted in 2012 it was his pioneering advocacy, not his exploits in a black jersey, that earned him the award.

After writing two memoirs on the topic, Kirwan has in recent years devoted himself to a more hi-tech means of communication, a mobile phone app called Mentemia.

The app uses personality tests and cognitive games to build up a picture of the user and provide tips for reducing stress.

These include breathing techniques, mood tracking, action plans for boosting mental wellbeing or simple reminders to take some time out during a busy day.

While it may sound warm and fuzzy, Kirwan points out that it was developed with a team of clinical psychologists using evidence-based techniques.

"The journey I went on was very much about listening to professionals and understanding what they were telling me," he said.

"This information is already out there, it's about getting that science and knowledge and delivering it to people in a way that's engaging."
- 'I knew what was coming' -
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"The right thing to do was to gift it to the whole of New Zealand."
"Then I had a little half-hour workout and after that I sat down and had a coffee. Already today I've done three things to contribute to my mental wellbeing."