JK Rowling: I considered suicide

Author J.K. Rowling revealed today that she thought of committing suicide when she was poor early on and suffering from depression as a single mother. Because of her daughter she sought psychiatric help and turned her life around.

J. K. Rowling rose from humble beginnings and poverty to become the richest female in United Kingdom even surpassing the Queen of England. She had talked about her depression during her earlier days but she didn’t talk about committing suicide until now.

According to Sunday Times newspaper, Rowling quoted this to a student reporter at Edinburgh University.

At that time, Rowling was separated from her first husband and was living in a cramped apartment with her baby daughter. She was unable to pay rent for her apartment and her friend offered £600 ($1,189) to pay the rent. She had also lived in a shelter with her daughter.

Rowling told the student reporter at Edinburgh University:

We're talking suicidal thoughts here, we're not talking 'I'm a little bit miserable…Mid-twenties life circumstances were poor and I really plummeted. The thing that made me go for help . . . was probably my daughter…She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn't right, this can't be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state."

Rowling then decided to get professional help. Then immediately she began writing the first Harry Potter book, which was published in 1996 and became instantly successful.

More than 325 million books in 64 languages have been sold around the world and the movies of her books are popular as well worldwide. She plans to write more novels soon.

I am glad Rowling didn’t go through with the brief impulse otherwise we would have lost a terrific writer. Hope this be a lesson for others contemplating suicide, life does turn around for those who persevere.