Posted on 03/23/2008 4:01:49 PM PDT by BenLurkin
LONDON (AP) ― Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling said she contemplated suicide as she suffered from depression before her rise to success, according to an interview with a student journalist.
The British writer said she had suicidal thoughts in her mid-20s, when she was a single mother and struggling to establish a literary career.
"Mid-20s life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted," Rowling said, according to an interview posted online by student journalist Adeel Amini.
Rowling said in the interview, parts of which were published in Edinburgh University's Student magazine, that she sought help from doctors and spent nine months receiving cognitive behavioral therapy, according to Amini.
"We're talking suicidal thoughts here, we're not talking 'I'm a little bit miserable,'" Rowling was quoted as saying.
Amini provided The Associated Press with an audio file of his 29-minute conversation with Rowling.
Christopher Little, Rowling's London-based agent, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rowling has previously said she suffered depression before her Harry Potter series brought her international success. She has acknowledged that characters featured in the series called Dementors were inspired by her illness.
The author has said she sought medical help following her separation from first husband, Jorge Arantes, a Portuguese journalist.
Amini told the AP in an e-mail that he had carried out the interview in Edinburgh last month. He said Rowling granted him an interview after a chance meeting several months ago in a coffee shop in the city.
"I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never," Rowling was quoted as saying in her interview with Amini. "What's to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that."
Fortune magazine ranks Rowling, who wrote seven Harry Potter novels, as one of the richest women in Britain, with an estimated wealth of $1 billion.
aaaaawwwwwwwwww.
I hadn’t thought of it but dementors are sort of like depression ... they suck all the happiness out of you.
Some of my family members are prone to it and it’s hard.
Depression is self inflicted. Consumed with self.
“Depression is self inflicted. Consumed with self.”
An ignorant and unkind statement. The brain of a depressed person fails to produce the right chemicals, much as type one diabetes is caused by the pancreas being unable to produce insulin.
I am glad you said it first. The post I was making in reply was even more unkind. It must be great that some people manage to live an easy world where everything is just black and white.
The brain of a depressed person fails to produce the right chemicals, much as type one diabetes is caused by the pancreas being unable to produce insulin.
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That’s PTSD that you are distribing...
Depression is something people can snap out of on their own...
It’s a decision...
I do wish Ms. Rowling would stop talking and just enjoy her royalty checks privately with her family.
That opinion might be revised somewhat to reflect recent medical research, say since WW II.
I think the more important message from this article is why one should NEVER commit suicide. J.K. Rowlings is a great testament to waiting it out. Look how her life turned out.
I do not have any particular regard for her books, but she has certainly become financially successful and will never have the fears and worries she did while being a single, struggling mother.
True.
I was over-simplifying a bit to meet my estimate of the educational level of the poster.
You are very uninformed. While I believe that much of what might be called “depression” could simply be dissatisfaction, ingratitude, and so on, there is such a thing as clinical depression. It can be brought on by an event or can even be inherited.
You should read Styron’s book on his journey into depression.
“Depression is something people can snap out of on their own...
It’s a decision...”
That’s a bit like saying women can choose whether or not they go through menopause. Serotonin is a chemical produced by the brain which, in some people, is reabsorbed too quickly or produced in small amounts. This is especially a problem during the winter or in darker parts of the world - not because the Holidays are depressing in general but because lack of sunlight leads to lack of serotonin. It’s no more imaginary than estrogen, or testosterone, or human growth hormone, or dopamine, or any of the other hormones that have such a profound impact on the body’s functioning.
I've known people who were consumed with guilt because they couldn't snap themselves out on their own. It only made matters worse.
It can be brought on by an event
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That’s PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder...
No, PTSD is a different condition.
That’s what I said
PTSD and depression are 2 different things...
Rape victims often suffer from PTSD
The Potter author does not have PTSD...
“I do wish Ms. Rowling would stop talking and just enjoy her royalty checks privately with her family.”
I think it is very kind of Jo Rowling to reveal the serious problems she overcame, so other young people with such problems will realize they should persevere until happier days arrive.
That’s another way of looking at it, of course.
Rodney Dangerfield had a lifelong problem with clinical depression. He then found out in middle age that not everyone felt that way and that his symptoms were brought on by a chemical imbalance. He still had to deal with bouts of depression, but at least he could control it with medication.
I think her depression had more to do with the end of the marriage and the stress of single parenthood than the fact that her writing didn’t take off immediately.
But to make an ignorant and unjustified statement about depression as an earlier poster did is ...
well, both ignorant and cruel.
Medication can do wonders and I don’t care what some recent studies say to the contrary because I have seen the good results in my own family.
But, yes, you do have to be persistent to find the right meds for you.
Depression is something people can snap out of on their own...
It’s a decision...
"Come out of the closet, Tom Cruise." On the other hand, stay in there...
Mark
An ignorant and unkind statement. The brain of a depressed person fails to produce the right chemicals, much as type one diabetes is caused by the pancreas being unable to produce insulin.
A-Men, it's amazing how much some people think they know but in reality do not know.
Sorry, but If I were to paraphrase Chevy Chase on SNL: Jane...
But I won't.
Rodney smoked pot every day as a way to self medicate.
There are many famous people that suffered from depression including Abe Lincoln.
“But, yes, you do have to be persistent to find the right meds for you.”
Personally I recommend harmless natural substances such as tri-methyl-glycine ( TMG ) and 5-hydroxy-tryptophan ( 5-HTP ) over any prescription drugs.
Though you might like this:
“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
....Mark Twain
Kinda like suicide.
Seven Reasons Not to Commit Suicide
And finally, the one that may be the most effective persuader of all:
That’s crap.
What's crap? Can you be specific?
1 and 2 are reasons enough. However, 3 through 7 are, as fatima says, crap.
8) No matter how miserable life can be, it's still several orders of magnitude better than being eaten by worms.
I don’t think that list is very helpful. It sounds like prevention thru guilt and shame, something that many people who are suicidal do not need.
Many people commit suicide because they want to escape the unbearable pain that they feel, many times due to the fact that depression can skew their view on their worth and their problems and they lose hope.
Getting help for depression can sometimes get that person around to the next corner.
Whatever.
Everything you posted is Crap.
Crap.
Many brilliant artists have struggled with their inner demons. She has done very well indeed. I look forward to the next book she writes. The woman has a gift.
Where did you get that idea?
She is a Christian.
I can understand that if someone is in actual physical pain, there is usually a physical cause, which may be incurable. But psychic pain will not kill you; it only makes life difficult. Who ever said life should be easy, or that you should NOT feel pain? Pain is not necessarily a bad thing. It means you're doing something wrong and you need to fix it. Instead of listening to Prozac, people should listen to the pain. And I agree, they should get help.
Crap.
Wow. That statement really highlights your ignorance on the subject.
You obviously don’t know anyone who is truly depressed.
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