“Be More Chill” and “The Other Normals,”Author of “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” Ned Vizzini, committed suicide this Thursday. After The Associated Press originally reported that the 32-year-old writer had died after jumping off the roof of his parents’ Brooklyn home, the focus has fallen on Vizzini’s depression and problems of mental disorders in general.

Vizzini, who reached worldwide fame with his 2006 young adult novel, later turned into a motion picture, had been struggling with depression for most of his life. In fact, the writer penned “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” based on his time in a Brooklyn psychiatric ward as a teen. It was later made into a film starring Zach Galifianakis and Emma Roberts.

Zack Galifianakis, The Hangover III Premiere
Vizzini's bestselling novel was made into a young adult film starring Zack Galifianakis.

Before his life and career were tragically cut short, Vizzini had become an advocate for mental health. While traveling the country, he spoke to teenagers and young people with depression and recommended resources for help and support.

“At his signings, countless kids would approach him to say that he changed their lives— he gave them hope,” his longtime publisher, Alessandra Balzer, of Balzer+Bray, said in a statement Friday, shared by the New York Daily News. Vizzini continued to explore the subjects of depression and alienation in his other books, “Be More Chill” and “The Other Normals.” Vizzini is survived by his wife and their 2-year-old son.