John Green was open about the sources of inspiration for his 2017 book, Turtles All the Way Down, which was turned into a movie.
The 46-year-old novelist stated in an interview with Us Weekly that he believes the film would support people as they navigate their own paths with mental health.
“I was writing the book while going through a really rough time in my mental health and I was aware that the relationships and friendships in my life were helping me get better,” Green said to the publication.
He went on, “I was also healing because I was using new therapy techniques and changing up my medications, and all of that helped me get to a place where I could live a full life again.”
“However, I also understood—and continue to understand—that things are brittle and that, as someone who suffers from a chronic mental illness, there are times when you feel well and times when you don’t.”
According to Green, he intended to write about mental health struggles in a way that he “hadn’t seen it written about that much” and as “honestly” as he possibly could.
“Stigmatise or romanticise, not as an illness that is accompanied by certain superpowers, but instead as a really difficult form of psychic pain that nonetheless shouldn’t define you,” he declared, expressing his desire to prevent something from happening.
On Thursday, May 2, Turtles All the Way Down will make its Max debut.
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