J.K. Rowling needed therapy to cope with Harry Potter fame

HARRY POTTER author J.K. ROWLING struggled to cope with life in the spotlight after her books propelled her to stardom, and she underwent therapy to help her through the difficult transition.

Rowling's novels became a worldwide phenomenon following the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997 and the books went on to spawn a major film franchise and even theme parks dedicated to the boy wizard.

The writer first saw a therapist when she hit a low while writing her debut Potter novel and admits she sought help again when she found herself unhappy with the attention her work brought her.

She tells Britain's Guardian Weekend magazine, "I had to do it (therapy) again when my life was changing so suddenly - and it really helped. I'm a big fan of it, it helped me a lot.

"For a few years I did feel I was on a psychic treadmill, trying to keep up with where I was. Everything changed so rapidly, so strangely. I knew no one who'd ever been in the public eye. I didn't know anyone - anyone - to whom I could turn and say, 'What do you do?', so it was incredibly disorienting."