Tigger on the Couch, which goes on sale in Ireland this week, was written in conjunction with leading UK psychiatrists. It ponders how different Tigger's life might have been had he been prescribed a course of Ritalin and spent months in therapy to conquer his Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); whether Eeyore's unhappiness was due to a chemical imbalance which could have been put right with Prozac; and, if Beauty had told her therapist about her relationship with the Beast, could she have been diagnosed as co-dependent and taught how to work on her own issues first.

Author Laura James told the Sunday Tribune:

"I have four children and I noticed when I was reading them stories that all was not well with these characters. I, like everyone else, have family members with mental health problems. I think there's something seriously wrong that we have pictures of models and actresses with their bras and knickers off in the papers, but we can't seem to talk about mental illness."

James added that the book wasn't an attempt to shatter the image of our most-revered fairy-tale characters, but was instead a tongue-in-cheek examination of a serious subject. "I'm not trying to destroy these characters; I'm very nice to them really. This is a book for grown-ups that was great fun to write."

The writer also expressed hope that parents may use the book as a tool to discuss mental illness with their children. "Say if your child had ADHD or something . . . maybe parents could sit down with them and explain why they are going to the doctor and that nothing's wrong with them, Tigger has it too, " said James.