A favourite on Royal Canadian Air Farce, Jessica Holmes has brought the house down opening for giants such as Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Peters, Jerry Seinfeld, and Oprah Winfrey. Now, in her second book and new memoir, Depression the Comedy: A Tale of Perseverance, the celebrity ambassador for the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign tackles the topic of depression, “the cold sore of the mind,” with her unique brand of humour. Here are a few musings you’ll find in her book, available on April 24, 2018 (and for pre-order here):

• the chicken and the egg of depression and comedy

• marriage counselling (a.k.a. tattling on your spouse)

• where jokes come from

• living on the sofa, which now looks like a tornado hit a 7-Eleven

• her kids’ take on the perks of having a depressed mom: “We don’t have to clean up anything. Yesterday the cat barfed and Mom just put a cushion on it and went back to playing on the iPad!”

• the obnoxiousness of anti-depressant commercials: “I never noticed the ocean before!”

It’s a validating read for anyone who has suffered from depression a little (“I get sad every January”) or a lot (“My psychiatrist doesn’t have a name for what I’ve got”) or who just thinks real life calls for levity and understanding.