Rowling considered suicide in mid-20s
Filed under JKR
retoo
LONDON — J.K. Rowling said she contemplated suicide in her mid-20s, when she was a single mother and struggling to establish a literary career, according to an interview with a student journalist.
Rowling said in an interview posted online and in Edinburgh University’s student magazine by student journalist Adeel Amini that she sought help from doctors and spent nine months receiving cognitive behavioral therapy.
“I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never,” Rowling was quoted as saying. “What’s to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time, and I am quite proud that I got out of that.”
Not really surprising. What low income single mother hasn’t?
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You know I understand that some people both men and women alike may have considered suicide due to certain reasons. However when J.K Rowling says it, I don’t feel one ounce of sympathy or respect. For me she’s clearly a self pitying whinger and everytime I hear some anecdote about her I simply shake my head and cringe. She started off as this great mediocre author and she has become…. a pretty bad author. Mind you I have to give her some credit, in that she’s not nearly half as bad as most of today’s celebrities.
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K reply on March 26, 2008:
I don’t think she’s whinging at all, just being honest about her life and making other people feel as though they’re not alone. She gets thousands of letters everyday with people asking her all sorts of things, be it about her life, her career, or asking for money.
When people read about the things she’d gone through before the whole HP phenomenon happened, they feel they can relate to her because they’ve had a lot of the same experiences. She gives a lot of people hope and inspiration. In her position, she’d be criticised if she didn’t offer that hope.
Personally, I applaud her honesty and I take inspiration from her. If you don’t, fine.
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Mish reply on March 26, 2008:
It’s spelled whiner.
And to K, it’s spelled whining.
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Cor reply on March 27, 2008:
Actually, to whinGe is a verb with the same meaning.
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Anonymous, she’s still a human being that went through extreme pain, regardless of your opinion of her talent.
Thank goodness she’s alright now and the world didn’t lose another soul.
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not surprised at all, she was broke living on benifits, divorced and a single mother. I totally agree with Kat that thank God she got through it and the world didn’t lose another soul. But a small part of me agrees with Anonymous too though. I’ve seen interviews with her and she seem like a rude person sometimes with a short temper. I’ve never concidered her friendly at all and perhaps she is a little self absorbed. But she is not a bad author, how can she be. She has sold more books then anyone else! She’s richer then the Queen! Yes, her books are not perfect but they are still dam good compared to other crap out there.
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I think that what she went through was a really hard thing, and i agree, alot of single parents who are poorly financed would. But she got through it, she’s come out of that and is one of the best selling authors in the world really. If she hadn’t of gone through that then her own experience of writting wouldn’t of been good. Alot of bad things have happend to her, and alot of her feelings are reflected into her books as i saw on ITV, a documentary about her. It is difficult, but i dont think she’s looking for sympathy from anyone, or whinging about it. She seems sgenuine about her life before she became this millionaire, i dont think she’d ever forget what it’s like to practically live in poverty and live off benefits. Infact, considering all the bad she has gone through, i personally have alot of respect and admiration for her. Even in the worst point of her life, she still carried on writing and look where she is now. Her work isn’t perfect, but it’s bloody good enough if it’s sold worldwide, and millions of copies have been sold. I dont think she is rude either, i think sometimes people do ask her stupid questions and think “your a right dick go away” but then so would you if you had alot of really personal questions thrown at you.
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I agree with you V except for the rude thing. I’ve always found her to be unfriendly and cold in her interviews. She was on ‘Friday Night with Jonathan Ross’ which is a comedy talk show, Jonathan is very funny and his guests always have a laugh with him but Jo didn’t, she was the most quiet, unfunny guest he has ever had on the show. I don’t care really, thats just her personality I’m just stating a fact. I suppose we can’t expect such an intense serious person like JK Rowling to be all bubbly and chatty. It would be nice though, to think that one of my favourite authors is a really friendly easy going person.
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Anonymous reply on March 27, 2008:
I’ve still got the Jonathan Ross interview, and so has outube. Look at it again, Jo WAS joking along with Jonathan, joining in the banter, and even letting rip with a good old British swear word - “BOLLOCKS”!
I don’t find her rude or cold at all, just very honest about herself, which makes a change from most celebs.
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Kerrie reply on March 27, 2008:
I don’t need to look at the interview again i remember it quite well, she was still the most unfunny, boring guest he EVER had on the show. I would know coz I watch Jonathan Ross every single week that its on or catch the repeat the night after. Compared to like…every other guest he had on the show she was totally dull and far too serious. I did not laugh once during the interview. Now Daniel Radcliffe’s 2nd interview with Jonathan, that was sooo funny, i laughed the whole way through. I totally agree with Anon, JK Rowling is rude and short tempered and doesn’t like being asked personal questions but announces stuff no-one wants to hear. I feel bad for her really, she needs to lighten up a bit.
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Anonymous reply on March 28, 2008:
You don’t WANT to see it again incase it refutes your claims, which it does. But it’s probably still on Youtube.
Still waiting for this evidence of Jo being rude and short-tempered in interviews…
As for Dan, he was funny I agree but he said things that a woman would have slaughtered for saying (re his sexual exploits).
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Lol reply on March 28, 2008:
I know you don’t wanna look but here’s just one example of JK doing just what you said she doesn’t.
If you don’t like her, fine. But don’t lie about her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaeSEL0Rs1Y
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Kerrie reply on March 30, 2008:
Are you kidding me? I just wathed it again and it was the worst interview ever! She’s sooo despressing. The only time she laughed was when Jonathan was making jokes. Whenever he asked her a question she gave boring, serious and dreary answers. Poor Jonathan had to do all the work. She didn’t even try to be funny! I honestly don’t know where you got this idea from. She’s friendly enough in that interview i guess but if you look at her Questions and Ansers interviews you’ll see what i mean about her being cold and short tempered.
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more pics please!!!!
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Ever since the last book was published it seems JK has went off the deep end. She keeps announcing stuff that nobody wants to hear. During interviews and such she is rude and short tempered and doesnt like being asked questions about her personal life, yet she will say something like this. And for her to contemplate suicide and leave her children without a mother is a horrible thing.
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toki reply on March 26, 2008:
I gotta say, anon…I agree.
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erika reply on March 26, 2008:
i agree too
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Kat reply on March 26, 2008:
She says in the same article that it was her daughter that made her get help.
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K reply on March 27, 2008:
It’s clear from some of the comments on this board that many people here know little or nothing about clinical depression, which is a real illness. But Jo came through it and is trying to show other people that they don’t need to be ashamed, just seek help like she did.
Also, whenever people claim she has been rude or cold in interviews they are hard pushed to actually point out clear examples.
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1. Clinical depression is a real illness and suicidal thoughts goes with it. But this was a long time ago and Jo is just being honest about it. 2. I’ve got the footage of Jo on Jonathan Ross and she DID laugh frequently, and joked with him.
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When you’re depressed you don’t think at all, you just see black, don’t want to get out of bed,you don’t want to eat and you don’t know how to resolve anything, so don’t critize her for not thinking of her daughter, wich I don’t think is the case, just like Kat says it was her daughter rhar made her get help…
On the other hand… about her personality. If thats her personality, that’s her personality. A local news paper ask her about how she handles with fame, and she said it’s hard because she is a lonely soul and not the talkative type, you can’t hate because of that… most writter are like that.
I apology for any grammatic mistakes, english is not my firt language.
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Clincial Depression, no matter how serious it is, is NOT an excuse for leaving your children without a mother. I don’t care what you guys say. Its not an excuse. No matter how bad someone is feeling you still have to be mature and grown up enough to consider the consequences of your actions. I’m glad JK Rowling was mature enough to understand this. I hear tragic stories of teens committing suicide and my heart just breaks for their poor parents left behind. Suicide is selfish and stupid. It doesn’t help anyone. I would advise people with Clinical Depression to seek professional help like Rowling did. Therapy always helps.
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K reply on March 28, 2008:
Your ‘knowledge’ of clinical depression is sadly lacking, which is why you seem to have such an apathetic (and frankly COLD) attitude to it. It’s a mental illness that doesn’t allow the sufferer to think rationally at times. What sufferers need is support and understanding, not ridicule and punishment. And it was just such support that helped Jo through, not someone with your attitude.
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Kerrie reply on March 30, 2008:
How am I being cold or apathetic? I just happen to feel more sorry for the people who have deal with losing a loved one. Losing a child or a parent at a young age is the worse possilbe thing ever to happen. I am not judging anyone at all, i realise that Clincial Depression is a serious disease and yes i agree, that people suffering from it do not always thing rationally but I still think that it can be overcome with support and professional help. Its important to find help, not bottle it all up and end up committing suicide. That is not the answer. I think that it is the people who do not find help are the ones who who sadly committ suicide. For example, a lot of parents who have lost children to suicide would not have konwn their child was depressed in the first place. Ya know what i mean?
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She like many others who suffer from depression need to get in touch with their soul, not take pills.
Depression is just a trendy name for Guilt.
Maybe if she stopped feeling guilty about plagiarizing the Bible like she has done for her Harry Potter stories in which she has just changed and added names and timelines and altered a few other things to shift the suspicion, she might feel a lot better.
George Lucas did the same when he wrote Star Wars.
She is, like Lucas, a scammer.
Harry Potter is just an Abstract version of the New Testament.
Why do you think it is so popular? Why do you think Rowling locked herself away in motel rooms for weeks on end to write these stories? Not a very inspiring place to write the second best seller ever written.
She was not and is still not a literary genius.
She is a Fake.
Shame on you JK Rowling
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Kerrie reply on March 27, 2008:
what the hell are you talking about? Harry Potter is nothing like the New Testement. I’m catholic and i can 100% say that Harry Potter has nothing to do with regligion. Its just a fantasty story about wizards and witches and a bad guy. Harry is a hero, not Jesus. In fact, Harry is less then a hero. Most of the time, he survives by dumb luck the help of his smart friend Hermione. He is not a miracle worker so i don’t know why you are comparing Harry Potter to the Bible you idiot!
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Kerrie reply on March 28, 2008:
Marcus Wellby I want you do retract your horrible horrible comment now! Clincial Depression is a real desease, it has nothing to do with guilt. You are an idiot! You clearly don’t know anything about Religion or Depression. I demand you apologise for your ridiculous and stupid comment asap. For the record you idiot, her depression had nothing to do with eh how did u put it “feeling guilty for plagiarizing the Bible” (which is total bulshit btw, read my other comment to you). Her depression was due to the fact that she was a divorced single bother living off benefits trying to support herself and her daughter. You need to get your facts straight before you say completley false and stupid comments like that. And again, Harry Potter is NOTHING like the Bible, perhaps you should actually try reading Harry Potter or the Bible, you obviosuly haven’t even read either of them you complete and utter twat!
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asd reply on March 28, 2008:
harry potter is satanistic because God is against magic and J:k Rowliing uses a lot of things in the book that are related to satan (like broomsticks scar etc) the point is that this people in books have big power and so they dont need God
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K reply on March 28, 2008:
*Yawn*
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Natalie reply on March 28, 2008:
They celebrate Christmas and they say “God” all the time.
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Kerrie reply on March 30, 2008:
Loser, its a fictional story for entertainment purposes, its not satanic!
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you’re all being horrible.
do you have any idea what kind of pain she went through in her early life?
depression is not something people want to have or try to have for attention.
its a mental illness.
just because she’s a celebrity doesn’t mean she has had her life easy. or that she doesn’t feel the same pain as other people.
and as for her being a bad author, you try writing one of the best selling series of books ever.
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Good for her, This just shows what a strong woman she is, it made her stronger. and why are you even on this site if you don’t like her, she created one of the most absolutely incredible series of all time!!! And isn’t it amazing it happened to a very special person who needed and deserved it!!
GO JK
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just because Harry Potter is a best seller does not make it a well written book. Just a popular series, because it indulges childrens fantasies and they enjoy to read it. Her books are actually not that well written.
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K reply on March 28, 2008:
Many a great book or series of books were written without pandering to literary snobbery. A book doesn’t have to be a masterpiece in English (or any other) literature, it just has to touch people and appeal to a side of them that they all want to hold on to. That’s what these books do. That’s why many of us are here, and it’s even why critics can’t leave it alone.
Not matter how much people bash JK Rowling and her book series, they can’t take away the far-reaching success of this series of books.
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to ‘anon’:
First off just as hundreds of millions of other fans believe, I think they are well written. AND fyi Harry Potter goes WAY, WAY BEYOND the writing.
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Anon, her books are far from perfect and do have small mistakes but they are well written. I personally don’t like that she leaves the climax of the story in every book until the end while the rest of the book could get boring and then all the exciting stuff was crammed into the last couple of chapters. Not in DH though, that book was great. Her books are still great though, she put so much effot into them
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I don’t think harry potter was copied from the bible but I can see what marcus welby is on about because the story has the same sort of theme. she might have used some of it for her ideas. But that is still no reason to run her down like that.Who cares where she got her ideas.
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Kerrie reply on March 31, 2008:
what theme? i don’t understand. I’m catholic and there is not ONE similarity between the Bible and the story of Harry Potter. Its ridiculous to say they are alike. But yes i agree, who cares where she got her ideas, its a great story.
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I saw a Duck with one leg
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lol to SWEET PEA
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Aw. I think it’s so cool how she’s comfortable with coming out about her past depression.
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http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s4i32694
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Wow no one cares.
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Mr Crowley reply on March 30, 2008:
What do you mean No One cares?
A Duck with One Leg is Big news
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