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.
Aren’t all authors and artists suicidal?
Sometimes we go public so others might not suffer quite as much.
I’m sorry you have a problem with that.
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
As horrible as this sounds my reason isn’t as much my family as my best friend outside my family. I know of all my friends that if I lost him it would be devastating. Which is why I would not want to put him through the same thing.
null and void wrote: “Sometimes we go public so others might not suffer quite as much.”
I wholeheartedly agree - I was extremely depressed but had no idea what was wrong with me.
A man I believe to this day saved my life saw me driving aimlessly one day, crying all the while. Unbeknownst to me he followed me for about 15 minutes on a route that made no sense to anyone. At a long stop light he came over and knocked on my window (town was in MT - about 50,000 people and little crime or I’d never have rolled down my window) and asked me to follow him to Taco Bell for lunch. When I said no he said he could tell from watching me that something was very wrong and he urgently needed to speak to me - he went on to say that if I did not meet him he would call the police and report me as a danger to myself.
I followed him to Taco Bell and there he told me he felt from watching me that I probably was severely depressed - he said no one just drives all around sobbing so hard they can barely drive.
He told me the story of his sister and a family that didn’t believe that depression was an illness. They felt his sister could “snap out of it”, “will herself better”, was full of self-pity and was “being a drama queen”. Sad to say she killed herself and the man vowed at his sister’s grave that he would help people realize that there is a real disease called depression and that you cannot always help yourself out of it or will yourself better.
He advised me to seek medical attention and gave me his business card with the request to call in a few days to tell him how I was. I took his advice, knowing all the while that he was wrong - but my doctor agreed with him. Several years later I still struggle with low points - very low sometimes - but life is better. Had I not gone to the doctor I’m not sure I’d be here today.
The reason behind all that crying which had actually persisted almost an hour? A sad song on the radio and once I started crying I could not make myself stop. Dumb, yes, but once in the depths of depression it takes nothing to make a jag like that start - thank God someone saw me that knew what was wrong and made me seek help. My poor husband had no idea and tried everything.
So to those that think depression is hooey - God forbid you should ever suffer from it and I do mean SUFFER. I pray daily that my 2 daughters NEVER have to deal with this as it can be hereditary.
Exactly. For Pete and all his friends who would miss him, and wonder if they could have done anything, anything to save him.
Perhaps you could share the secret of your perfect happy life with the rest of us?
Hey, if the glove does fit, then we must not acquit.
Yes! Or fish, if one chooses to jump off the end of a ship, ala Rose in Titanic.
How strange. Here I thought it was YOU who was declaring YOUR moral superiority to us mere mortals who have fallen into depression and are willing to talk about it.
Just for a sanity check, I’m pinging others who responded to your kind words or my response to ask: Was I the only one who thought that?
Oh, and one other thing, clinical depression is like losing a child.
If you’ve been through it, no explanation is necessary.
If you haven’t no explanation is possible.
No you weren’t the only one that thought that and I’m sorry I misunderstood and took offense.
Null - I was fine with what you said - in fact I was sort of (maybe I misunderstood all along!) trying to agree with your post and feelings!
Trisham - I’m sure there will never be a right answer to this:
Trisham wrote: “It seems you’re proving my point. For some reason, there is a growing tendency for some to reveal the most personal of information about their lives. Dr. Phil has made a career of exploiting this misguided behaviour.”
But my opinion is that if me revealing what I did helps even one person then it will have been worth it. I think that’s why some and note I said SOME celebrities come forward with their issues. Some obviously do it for more fame and fortune - temporary boost to their popularity, etc. but there are those that do it to help. I believe Brooke Shields and a few others fall into that category, Betty Ford with the breast cancer, etc.
You really don't know what the F**k you're talking about. When that's the case, the best recourse is to shut up.
I don't disagree that there are times it can be a valuable tool to educate, but if you look at my original post, that was not at issue.
That sounds like the opposite of what you said at your original post, #80:
Doesn’t anyone ever keep their mouth shut about private issues anymore? Good grief.
I took you at your word. I guess it was the anyone, ever, anymore and Good grief that made me think that you were against anyone ever not keeping their mouths shut about private issues, without regard to whether it might help others avoid the pitfalls they encountered.
When I said:
Sometimes we go public so others might not suffer quite as much.
You said: Oh, for Pete’s sake.
For some reason, I thought you meant that you were serious about your earlier statement, that even if a few words would save someone's life and untold grief for the survivors, I should keep their my mouth shut about private issues rather than speak out.
When I said as much your response sounded a little snide. Do you recall your words?
LOL! Feeling waspish today, O morally superior being?
Now I'm totally confused. Which side of this issue are you on again?
I think I understand and agree with your comments about people spilling their guts just for attention or to titillate, or hear the sound of their own voice, but,
Do you think discussing depression is in the same category?
Best of luck to you.
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